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PARACELSUS

THE LIFE OF
PHILIPPUS THEOPHRASTUS BOMBAST
OF HOHENHEIM
KNOWN BY THE NAME OF

PARACELSUS
AND

THE SUBSTANCE OF

HIS TEACHINGS

CONCERNING COSMOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, PNEUMATOLOGY, MAGIC
AND SORCKRV, MEDICINE, ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY,
PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY
EXTRACTED AND TR \NSLATED FROM HIS RARE AND EXTENSIVE WORKS
AND FROM faOME UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS

FRANZ HARTMANN,
AUTHOR OF

M.D.

"MAC.IC," CIC

SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED
(THIRD IMPRESSION)

"e

Tftc beginning it/ wlstfont

7*y

the

be<* inning

ofsupernatura
PAUACLLSUS

LONDON
fCEGAN PAUL, TRENCH,

TRUBNER &

CO. LT

HKOADWAY HOUSE, 68-74 CARTIiR LANE, K C.

-

The

tights of translation andcfreftoduction ate rescue

fMtlMMl IS C,M
MORRISON AND C.HUl t!U,,

M
I

1IKI1A1S 1<V

f>NDON

AND

r tI'-)ltUttCH

PREFACE
KECENT researches

in the ethereal realms of Mysticism,

Metaphysics,and transcendental Anthropology have proved
heyond a doubt the existence of a great number of apparently mysterious and occult facts, whose causes cannot
be explained by a science whose means for investigation
are limited

by the imperfections of sensual perception,
and whose researches must necessarily come to a stop
where physical instruments cease to be of any service.
Invisible things cannot be seen, neither can that which is

imponderable be weighed with scales; but invisible and
imponderable things, such as the cosmic ether, the lightproducing power of the sun, the vital power of plants and
animals, thought, memory, imagination, will, psychological
inlluences affecting the state of the mind or producing a

sudden change

of feeling,

and other things too numerous
and exist in spite of

to mention, are nevertheless facts,

the incapacity of teachers of anatomy or chemistry to
If a reasonable sceptic says that such
explain them.
things do not exist, he can only

mean

do not exist relatively to his knowledge

to say that they
;

because, to

deny

the possibility of the existence of anything of which we
know nothing would imply that we imagined ourselves

knowledge that exists in the
and
believed
that
world,
nothing could exist of which we
did not know. A person who peremptorily denies the
to be in possession of all the

PREFACE

vi

which

beyond the horizon of hia
understanding because he cannot make it harmonise with
his accepted opinions is as credulous as he who believes
of anything

is

everything without any discrimination. Either of these
persons is not a freethinker, but a slave to the opinions
which he has accepted from others, or which he may have

formed in the course of his education, and by his special
experiences in his (naturally limited) intercourse with the
world.

that

is

If such persons

beyond

their

meet with any extraordinary

own

fact

experience, they often either

regard it with awe and wonder, and are ready to accept
any wild and improbable theory that may be offered to
them in regard to such facts, or they sometimes reject
the testimony of credible witnesses, and frequently even
that of their own senses.
They often do not hesitate to

impute the basest motives and the most silly puerilities to
honourable persons, and are credulous enough to believe
that serious and wise people had taken the trouble to

play upon them "practical jokes/' and they are often
willing to admit the most absurd theories rather than to
use their

own common

sense.

seems almost superfluous to make these remarks, as
perhaps none of our readers will be willing to be classified
It

into either of these

two categories

;

but nevertheless the

whom

thoy may be applied are exceedingly
numerous, and by no means to be found only among the
people to

On the contrary, it seems
ignorant and uneducated.
that now, as at the time of the great Paracelsus, the three
self-conceit, credulity,
(dis)graces of dogmatic science
and scepticism

go

still

hand in hand, and that

favourite places of residence are public auditories

their

and

the private visiting-rooms of the learned.
It is difficult for the light of truth to penetrate into a

PREFACE
mind that

is

crammed

ciously clings,

-^vh

full of opinioiis^o" which

"it

tena-

and only those who accept the opiajp^b

30!

others, not as their guides, but only as their assistants,

and are able

to rise on the wings of their

own

genius into the region of independent thought,

unfettered

may receive

Our modern age is not without such minds.
The world is moving in spirals, and our greatest modern
the truth.

philosophers are nearing a place in their mental orbit

where they come again into conjunction with minds like
Pythagoras and Plato. Only the ignorant schoolboy believes that he knows a great deal more than Socrates

and Aristotle because he may have learned some modern
opinions in regard to a few superficial things, or some

modern inventions, with which the philosophers of old may
not have been acquainted but if our modern scientists
know more about steam-engines and telegraphs than the
ancients did, the latter knew more about the powers that
;

move the

world, and about the communication of thought

at a distance without the

employment

of visible means.

anatomist of to-day knows more about the details
of the anatomy of the physical body than the ancients,
If the

the ancients

knew more about

the attributes and the

constitution of that power which organises the physical
body, and of which the latter is nothing more than the
objective

and visible

representative.

Modern

science

may

be successful in producing externarappearances or manifestations with which the ancients were not acquainted
;

the initiates into ancient sciences could create internal
causes of which modern science

and which the

much

latter will

further.

progress
evolution of the world.

knows nothing whatever,

have to learn

if it

desires to

no resting-place in the
There is only progression and

There

retrogression, rising or falling.

is

If

we

falter at the door

/ * 'X*;
e* f * e

viii.-.

,,*

/,
*

r

PREFACE

*
r ;

rr

to*the feaifn'of' th6 invisible, and dare not enter the
of Nature exists,
topple $tiere the mysterious workshop
we'will 'sink still more into the mire of illusion, and lose
still

more

of the faculties necessary to perceive the things

A

memher which

not used atrophies a
faculty that is not actively employed is lost. If our whole
time and attention is taken up by the illusions of sense,

of the soul.

is

;

power to perceive that which is supersensual; the more we look at the surface, the less will
we know of the kernel the more we gink into matter,

we

will lose the

;

the more will
is

the

we become unconscious

life of all

of the spirit

which

things.

But, fortunately for humanity, each evil carries its own
remedy in its bosom, each action is followed by a reaction,

and the progression of the world resembles the movements of a pendulum that swings from one side to the
other, while

it

at the

same time moves forward.

Ages

of

bigotry are followed by periods of thought that may end
in ages of scepticism ; centuries of scientific or religious
ignorance, intolerance, and superstition lead to revolutions
of thought that may, again, end in atheism and crime ; but
each swing of the pendulum raises humanity a step higher
on the ladder of progression. When it reaches the point

would stop unless pushed on by the impulse
from
one
or the other extreme.
coming
It seems that our age is nearing that neutral point
of gravity, it

"
Blind " Materialism has expended its powers it
still have many pretended followers, but
very few

again.

may

;

that believe in

persons

who

it

in their hearts.

sincerely believed in

If there
it,

were any

and followed

its

teachings to its last logical consequences, they would
necessarily end their days in jail or be driven to suicide ;

but the great majority of the advocates of Materialism

PREFACE
Kke the

bigots of old theology, feel

.

.

r

and think

ix

d?"ff<F?rsBtly

from what they say: they deal out their thc'c*ies ; to
others, but do not desire to use them themselves. Doubt,
the great enemy of true faith, is also the enemy of dogmatic ignorance; it destroys all self-confidence, and
therefore impedes not only the power to do good in those
that are good, but it also weakens the poison of those
that do evil. The eyes of a world that stepped out from
a night of bigotry into the light of day were dazzled and

blinded for a while by the vain
and broken pots that had been
of material science,

glitter of

collected

who palmed

a pile of rubbish
by the advocates

it off for

diamonds and

precious stones; but the world has recovered from the
effect of the glare,

and

and

realised the worthlessness of the

again seeks for the less dazzling but
Treasures that have long
been buried and hidden away from the sight of those
rubbish,

it

priceless light of the truth.

that were neither able to realise nor to appreciate their
value are now brought to light; pearls of ancient wisdom
are brought from the East ; fountains of knowledge that
have been for centuries closed up are again opened, and a

thrown over things that appeared imposmysterious, and occult.

flood of light is
sible,

As we

dive into the ancient mysteries a new world
The more we begin to understand the
us.
before
opens
of
the
Adepts, the more grows our respect for
language
The more we become able to grasp their
their wisdom.

more grows our conception of man. The anatomy, physiology, and psychology which they teach make
of man something immeasurably greater than the puny
and impotent being known to modern science as a com-

ideas, the

pound

of bones, muscles,

attempts to prove that

and nerves.

man

is

Modern

an animal

;

science

the teachings

PREFACE

x

Adepts snow that he may be a god. Modern
sciWo& invests him with the power to lift his own
of

..tbe.

:

him with the power to
weight; ancient science invests
Modern science allows
control the destiny of the world.
him

to live for a very limited

number

of years

ancient

he has always existed,
he desires to live. Modern science deals

science teaches that

cease to exist

;

and will never

if

with the instrument that the real

man

uses as long

and

as often as he comes into relationship with the world of

phenomena, and she mistakes that instrument for the

man

the Adepts show us the true nature of the essential
man, to whom one earthly existence is nothing more than
;

one of the

many

incidents of his eternal career.

an invisible universe within the visible one, a
world of causes within the world of effects. There is force

There

is

within_matter, and the two are one, and are dependent
for their existence on a third, which is the mysterious

cause of their existence.

There

is

a world of soul within

a world of matter, and the two are one, and caused by
the world of spirit. And within these worlds are other
worlds, visible

modern

science

and
;

invisible ones.

Some

of others she does not

are

known

to

even know that

the material worlds of suns and planets
and stars, the worlds of animate and inanimate beings,

they exist ;

for, as

from man, the lord of creation, down to the microscopic
its countless inhabitants, can only be seen by

world with

him who

is

in the possession of the powers necessary for

their perception, likewise the world of the soul

and the

realms of the spirit can only be known to him whose
inner senses are awakened to life. The things of the
body are seen through the instrumentality of the body,

but the things of the soul require the power of spiritual
perception.

PREFACE

:-.

:.\:\-/i

:'-\ //.

It is very natural that those who have not developed
the power of spiritual perception will not believe in -its
existence, because for them this faculty does not exist.
Therefore the outward reasoner is like a man who keeps
his eyes closed, and calls for proofs of the existence of

that which he cannot see ; while he

who

is

able to see

with the qye of the soul or the intellect requires no other
proof that the things which he sees exist, and he is rightfully entitled to speak authoritatively of his experience
in regard to that which is invisible to the majority, just

as a

man who

country

is

has returned from a previously unexplored

entitled to speak authoritatively about

things which he has

seen,

and

the

to describle his experi-

ences; while, as a matter of course, every listener has
the right to accept that which appears to him reasonable,

and

to reject whatever goes

beyond his capacity

to under-

stand; but to deny the power of spiritual perception
because one does not possess it himself is as foolish and
arrogant as

power

if

a blind

man were

to

deny

to others the

to see.

This power of spiritual perception, potentially contained in every man, but developed in few, is almost
unknown to the guardians of science in our modern
civilisation,

because learning

is

often separated

from

wisdom, and the calculating intellect seeking for worms
in the dark caverns of the earth cannot see the genius
that floats towards the light, and it cannot realise his
And yet this ancient science, which the
existence.

moderns ignore,

known

perhaps as old as the world. It was
to the ancient prophets, to the Arhats and Eishis
is

Brahmins, Egyptians, and Greeks.
fundamental doctrines are found in the Vedas as well

of the East, to initiated
Its

as in the Bible.

Upon

these doctrines rest the funda-

xiiX
,.-

;

'
"*

I-""-:"

:;.-;

mente &i the

PREFACE

-

:.-*.-:

religions of the world.

They formed the

esseioieiof the secrets that were revealed only to the
initiated in the inner

temple where the ancient mysteries

were taught, and whose disclosure to the vulgar was forbidden under the penalty of torture and death. They
were the secrets known to the ancient sages, and to the
Adepts and Eosicrucians of the Middle Ages, and upon a
truths rests the
partial understanding of their

system

of

modern Freemasonry.

But

it is

a great error to suppose that the secrets of

be communicated by words or
who may be trusted
signs, or be explained to any one
with them. The rendering of an explanation requires
the Alchemists can

all

the capacity to understand on the part of the receiver,

and where that power

is

absent

ever so clear, will be in vain.

all

It

explanations, be they

would be

to explain the nature of a palm-tree to

living

among

icebergs, never

saw a

of little use

an Eskimo, who

plant, or to describe

the construction of a dynamo-machine to an Australian
savage.

A man

entirely ignorant of all spiritual

compre-

hension, however well his intellectuality be developed,
will be in the

same condition regarding the understand-

ing of spiritual things as the savage in regard to that

which belongs to modern civilisation. In the spiritual
as well as in the sensual kingdom the perception is first,
and then comes the understanding.
teries are within

our

own

self.

He

The greatest myswho. knows himself

thoroughly knows God^ and all the^jgysteries "ofjSs*
The doctrines resulting from true contemplation
nature.
are not to be confounded with speculative philosophy, that
reasons from the known to that which it cannot know,

trying by the flickering light of logic to grope its way
into the darkness, and to feel the objects which it cannot

PREFACE

X

-

-,

//.

."-

;adii

These doctrines were taught by the children c Jlsghft,
who possessed the power to see. Such men w^r iSe

see.

great religious reformers of all ages, from Confucius and
Zoroaster down to Jacob Boehme and Eckartshausen,

and

teachings have been verified by every one

their

whose purity of mind and whose power of intellect have
enabled him to see and to understand the things of the
spirit.

Some

of their doctrines refer to morals

and

ethics,

others are of a purely scientific character; but both
aspects of their teachings are intimately connected together, because beauty cannot be separated from truth.
They both form the two pages of a leaf in the book of

universal Nature, whose understanding confers upon the
reader not merely opinions but knowledge, and renders
him not only learned but illuminated with wisdom.

Among

those

who have taught th^moral

aspect of the

none greater than Buddha,
of
Plato, ^ndjJesus
Nazareth; of those who have taught
its(scientific aspect there have been none more profound
than Hermes XCrismegistus, Sankarachar^a, Pythagoras,
secret doctrine, there are

1

,

and Paracelsus.
They obtained their knowledge not
merely from following the prescribed methods of learning,
*
opinions of the
recognised authorities" of their times, but they studied Nature by her

or

by accepting the

own

and becoming illuminated by the light of
Divine Nature, they became lights themselves, whose
light,

rays illuminate the world of mind. What they taught
has been to a certain extent verified and amplified by

the teachings of Eastern Adepts, but many things about
which the latter have to this day kept a well-guarded
silence were revealed by Paracelsus three hundred years
ago.

Paracelsus threw pearls before the swine, and was

PREFACE
by the ignorant, his reputation was torn by the
vy and hate, and he was treacherously killed by
his enemies.

But although

to the elements out of

his physical

which

it

body returned

was formed,

his genius

and as the eyes of the world become better
an
understanding of spiritual truths, he appears
opened to
like a star on the mental horizon, whose light is destined
still

lives

;

to illuminate the

world

of occult science,

and

to penetrate

deep into the hearts of the coming generation, to warm
the soil out of which the science of the coming century
will grow.

CONTENTS
PAGE
I.

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

.

.

I

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS

29

III.

COSMOLOGY

44

IV.

ANTHROPOLOGY

63

V.

PNEUMATOLOGY

103

MAGIO AND SORCERY

12$

n.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

MEDICINE

!$5

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY
PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

....

238
266

APPENDIX

287

INDEX

305

PARACELSUS
L

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

THE dawn of the sixteenth century called into existence
a new era of thought, and was the beginning of the most
stupendous and important accomplishments of those
the reformation of the Church.
times
The world
awoke again from its long sleep in mental torpitude
during the Middle Ages, and shaking off the incubus of
As the
Papal suppression, it breathed freely once more.
shadows of night fly at the approach of the day, so clerical
fanaticism, superstition, and bigotry began to fade away,
because Luther, in the name of the Supreme Power of

the Universe, spoke again the Divine command: "Let
"
there be light
The sun of truth began again to rise
in the East, and although his light may afterwards have
been obscured by the mists and vapours rising from fields
on which dogmas and superstitions were undergoing the
!

process of putrefaction, nevertheless it was penetrating
enough to extend its beneficial influence over the subseIt shone through the murky
quent hours of that day.
sectarian
of
atmosphere
bigotry, and sent its rays into
doubting minds. Free thought and free investigation,
having shaken off the chains with which they were bound
down for centuries by the enemies of religious liberty,
broke the door of their dungeon, and rose again to
heaven to drink from the fountain of truth. Free in-

quiry took the place of blind credulity; reason rose victorious out of its struggle with blind belief in clerical

A

PARACELSUS

4

him

sciences led

to

enter the laboratory of the rich
who, like the

Fugger, at Schwatz, in Tyrol,

Sigismund
abbot, was a celebrated alchemist, and able to teach to
his disciple many a valuable secret
travelled a great deal.
He
the
DenFrance,
Netherlands,
Germany, Italy,
mark, Sweden, and Bussia, and it is said that he even
went to India, because he was taken prisoner by the

Later on, Paracelsus

visited

Tartars and brought to the Khan, whose son he afterwards accompanied to Constantinople.
Every reader of

who is also accquainted with the
made by the Eastern Adepts, cannot

the works of Paracelsus
recent revelations
fail

to notice the similarity of the two systems, which in
respects are almost identical, and it is therefore

many

quite probable that Paracelsus during his captivity in
Tartary was instructed in the secret doctrine by the
The information
teachers of occultism in the East.

by Paracelsus in regard to the sevenfold principles
of man, the qualities of the astral body, the earth-bound
elementaries, &c,, was then entirely unknown in the
given,

West ; but this information is almost the same as the
one given in " Isis Unveiled," " Esoteric Buddhism," and
other books recently published, and declared to have been
Paracelsus, moreover,
given by some Eastern Adepts,
wrote a great deal about the Elementals, or spirits of

Nature, but in his description of them he substituted for
the Eastern terms such as were more in harmony with
the German mythological conceptions of the same, for the

purpose of bringing these subjects more to the understanding of his countrymen, who were used to the
Western method of thought It is probable that Parastayed among the Tartars between 1513 and
1521, because, according to Van Helmont's account, he
came to Constantinople during the latter year, 1 and
celsus

received there the Philosopher's Stone.
The Adept from whom Paracelsus received this stone
1

Van Helmont,

Tartar! Hi&fo>ria,"

3.

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

$

was, according to a certain aurewn, vellm (printed at
Rorschach, 1598), a certain Solomon Trisrnosinus (or

a countryman of Paracelsus.
It is said that
was also in possession of the Universal
Panacea ; and it is asserted that he had been seen, still
alive, by a French traveller, at the end of the seventeenth century.
Pfeiffer),

this Trismosinus

Paracelsus travelled through the countries along the
Italy, where he served as an army

Danube, and came to

surgeon in the Imperial army, and participated in many
of the warlike expeditions of these times.
On these
occasions he collected a great deal of useful information,
not only from physicians, surgeons, and alchemists, but
also by his intercourse with executioners, barbers, shep-

He
herds, Jews, gipsies, midwives, and fortune-tellers.
collected useful information from the high and the low,
from the learned and from the vulgar, and it was nothing
unusual to see him in the company of teamsters and
a circumvagabonds, on the highways and at public inns
stance on account of which his narrow-minded enemies

heaped upon him bitter reproach and vilifications. Havsometimes exercising his
ing travelled for ten years
art as a physician, at other times teaching or studying
1
alchemy and magic, according to the custom of those

he returned at the age of thirty-two again to
Germany, where he soon became very celebrated on
account of the many and wonderful cures which he
days

performed.
In the year 1525 Paracelsus went to Basel ; and in
1527, on the recommendation of Oxcolampadius, he
was appointed by the City Council a professor of physic,
medicine, and surgery, receiving a considerable salary.
His lectures were not like those of his colleagues

mere repetitions of the opinions of Galen, Hippocrates,
and Avicenna, the exposition of which formed the sole
occupation of the professors of medicine of those times.
1

Conrad Gesner, "Epist. Medic./'

lib.

i foL

I.

PARACELSUS

6

His doctrines were essentially doctrines of his own, and
he taught them independently of the opinions of others,
gaining therehy the applause of his students, and horrifying his orthodox colleagues by his contravention of
custom of teaching nothing but what

their established

could be well supported by old and accepted authorities,
irrespective of whether or not it was compatible with
reason and truth.

He held at the same time the office of city physician,
and in that capacity he offered a resolution to the City
Council of Basel to the effect that the apothecaries of that
be subjected to his supervision, and that he

city should

should be permitted to
pounders of medicines
ascertain whether they
and genuine drugs on

examine whether or not the comunderstood their business, and to
had a sufficient quantity of pure
hand, so that he might prevent

them from asking exorbitant

prices for their goods.
of this measure was, as might have
been expected, that he drew upon himself the concentrated hatred of all the druggists and apothecaries ; and

The consequence

the other physicians and professors, jealous of his success
and curing diseases, joined in the

in teaching medicine

persecution, under the pretext that his appointment as a
professor at the university had been made without their
consent, and that Paracelsus was a stranger, of whom

"nobody knew where he came from," and furthermore
that they did not know whether or not he was " a real
But perhaps all these annoyances and vilifidoctor."
cations would have had no serious consequences if he
had not made the members of the City Council his
enemies by writing a severe publication against a
decision which he considered very unjust, and which was

rendered in favour of a certain Canonicus Cornelius of

whom he had saved from death after the
had been given up to die by the other physicians,
and who had acted very ungratefully towards him.
The
consequence of his hasty action was, that he had to leave
Lichtenfels,

latter

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS
Basel secretly and hurriedly in

July

?

1528, to avoid

1

unpleasant complications.
After this event Paracelsus resumed his strolling life,
over the country,
roaming as he did in his youth
living in village taverns and inns, and travelling from
place to place. Numerous disciples followed him, attracted
either by a desire for knowledge or by a wish to acquire
his art and to use it for their own purposes.
The most
renowned of his followers was j^hannes_OporinuSj who
for three years served as a secretary and famulus to him,
and who afterwards became a professor of the Greek
language, and a well-known publisher, bookseller, and
Paracelsus was exceedingly reticent
printer at Basel.
in regard to his secrets, and Oporinus afterwards spoke
very bitterly against him on that account, and thereby
But after the death of Paracelsus
served his enemies.
he regretted his own indiscretion, and expressed great

veneration for him.

Paracelsus went to Oolmar in

1528, and came to
in
and
the
years 1529 and 1530.
Esslingen
Nuremberg
The " regular physicians " of Nuremberg denounced him a
To refute their accusaquack, charlatan, and impostor.
tions he requested the City Council to put some patients
that had been declared incurable under his care.
They
sent him some cases of elephantiasis, which he cured in a
short time and without asking any fee.
Testimonials to
that effect

may be

found in the archives of the city of

Nuremberg.
But this success did not change the fortune of
Paracelsus, who seemed to be doomed to a life of
In 1530 we find him at Noerdcontinual wanderings.
lingen, Munich, Eegensburg, Amberg, and Meran; in
1531 in St Gall, and in 1 5 3 5 at Zurich. He then went
to Maehren, Kaernthen, Krain, and Hongary, and finally
landed in Salzburg, to which place he was invited by the
Prince Palatine, Duke Ernst of Bavaria, who was a great
1

Urtstisitis,

"Baseler Chronik.," bk.

vii.

chap.

m.

p. 1527.

PARACELSUS

8

lover of the secret arts.
at last the fruits of his

In that place Paracelsus obtained
long labours and of a widespread

fame.

But he was not destined to enjoy a long time the rest
he so richly deserved, because already, on the 24th of
September 1541, he died, after a short sickness (at the
age of forty-eight years and three days), in a small room of
" White
the inn called the
Horse," near the quay, and his
body was buried in the graveyard of St. Sebastian. There
a mystery in regard to his death, but the most
recent investigations go to confirm the statement made by
his contemporaries, that Paracelsus during a banquet had
been treacherously attacked by the hirelings of certain
physicians who were his enemies, and that in consequence
of a fall upon a rock, a fracture was produced on his
German
skull, that after a few days caused his death.
skull of
Th.
von
examined
the
S.
Soemmering,
physician,
Paracelsus, which on account of its peculiar formation
could not easily be mistaken, and noticed a fracture going
is still

A

through the temporal bone, which, by reason of the age
and frequent handling of the skull, had become enlarged
in size so as to be easily seen, and he believes that such
a fracture could only have been produced during the lifetime of Paracelsus, because the bones of a solid but old
and desiccated skull would not be likely to separate in
that manner.
it is that Paracelsus was not killed on the
but that at the time of his death he was in possession of his mental faculties and reasoning powers, as is
shown by the documents containing his last will and testament, which were written down on the 2Oth of September
1541, at noon, in the presence of Melchior Spaech,

Certain

spot,

city-judge of Hallein; Hans Kalbssor, notary-public of
Salzburg ; and several other persons of prominence.

The bones of Paracelsus were exhumed in the year
1572, at a time when the church was repaired, and
reinterred near the back side of the wall that encloses

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

9

the space in front of the chapel of St. Philippi Neri
an extension of the church of St. Sebastian, where his

monument may be seen

at the present time.
The midst
of a broken pyramid of white marble shows a cavity
which contains his picture, and above it is a Latin
inscription, saying

Below this inscription may be seen the coat-of-arms of
Paracelsus, representing a beam of silver, upon which are
ranged three black balls, and below are the words :
Pax

A translation

vivis requies aeterna sepultis.

of the above inscription into

German may

be seen on a black board on the left side of the monument.
The two latter inscriptions have evidently been
taken from the original monument, but the one around
the portrait was added in 1572.
Thus were the earthly remnants of Paracelsus disposed
of; but an old tradition says and those who are sup-

know confirm the tale that his astral body
having already during physical existence become selfconscious and independent of the physical form, he is now

posed to

PARACELSV5

to

a living Adept, residing with other Adepts of the same
Order in a certain place in Asia, from whence he still
influences the
invisibly, but nevertheless effectually
minds of his followers, appearing to them occasionally
visible and tangible shape.
Paracelsus left very few worldly goods at the time of
his death, but the inheritance which he left in the shape

even in

of his writings

man

ordinary
times and

all

is

rich and imperishable.

This extra-

one of the most remarkable ones of

peoples

found

but the number of those

who

many

all

enthusiastic followers

envied,

;

and therefore hated,

He had many enemies, because
still greater.
he overthrew the customary old- fogey ism of the orthodox
physicians and speculative philosophers of his age; he
proclaimed new, and therefore unwelcome, ideas and he
defended his mode of thinking in a manner that was
rather forcible than polite.
him was

;

One-sided culture could see in Parcelsus nothing else
but an enthusiast, a fanatic, and noise-maker; his enthusiastic followers, on the other hand, looked upon him as
a god and a monarch of all mysteries and king of the
It was his destiny to be misjudged by his
spirits.
friends as well as by his enemies, and each side exaggerated his qualities the one his virtues, the other his
He was denounced and vilified by one set of
faults.
ignoramuses, and his qualities extolled by another, and
the two camps roused each other into a frenzy by their
inordinate praises and vile denunciations, whose exaggerations were evident to every one but themselves.
Those
historians

who have

criticised the character of Paracelsus

severely, forgot to take into consideration the customs
and fashions of the time in which he lived, the character

of his surroundings, and his restless wanderings.
Now,
as the battle of contending opinions has ceased to rage,
we may take a dispassionate view of the past, and after

studying his works and the writings of his critics and
we will arrive at the conclusion that he was

biographers,

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

it

one of the greatest and most sublime characters of all
His works contain inexhaustible mines of knowan extraordinary amount of germs out of which
and
ledge
truths
may grow if they are attended to by comgreat
times.

petent cultivators, and a great deal that is at present
misunderstood and rejected will by future inquirers be

drawn to the

light,

and be cut into some of the noblest

blocks in the spiritual Temple of Wisdom.
The writings of Paracelsus are especially distinguished
by the short and concise manner in which his thoughts

In this regard they may be compared to
are expressed.
some ot the writings of Thales, Heraclitus, Pythagoras,

There is no ambiguity
Anaxagoras, and Hippocrates.
in his expressions, and if we follow the roads which he
indicated, progressing at the same time along the path
of physical science, we shall find the richest of treasures
buried at the places that he pointed out with his magic

wand.
Paracelsus was a Christian in the true meaning of
that word, and he always attempted to support the doctrines he taught by citations from the Bible.
He asks :
"

What

is

a philosophy that

tual (internal) revelation?

is not supported by spiriMoses did not attempt to

he wrote in a theological sense calcuand awaken the faith of the
and
he
perhaps
simple-minded,
may not have understood

teach physics

;

lated to impress the feelings

The scientist, unlike the theologian,
physics himself.
does not put any trust in his feelings, but believes only
in his experiments, because physical science deals with
faith.
The Hebrews, moreover,
about natural science, and as a
people they have always been more ignorant than others

phenomena and not with
did not

know much

in that respect."

" Faith

is

a luminous star that leads the honest seeker

into the mysteries of Nature. Ton must seek your point
of gravity in God, and put your trust into an honest,
divine, sincere, pure, and strong faith, and cling to it

PARACELSUS

12

full
with your whole heart, soul, sense, and thought
If you possess such a faith,
of love and confidence.
God (Wisdom) will not withhold His truth from you,

but He will reveal His works to you credibly, visibly,
and consolingly."
"Everything that happens takes place through the
Conscience is the state which we
will of the Supreme.
have received from God, in which we should see our own
image, and according to the dictates of which we should
act, without attempting to discover reasons in the guidWe
ance of our life in regard to morals and virtues.
should do that which our conscience teaches, for no other
He who
reason but because our conscience teaches it.
does not burn himself will not be burned by God, and
God provided him with a conscience into which he may
trust.
To learn from others, to accept
the opinion of others, to act in a certain manner because
Therefore
others are acting in that way, is temptation.
faith in the things of the earth should be based upon

put his implicit

the holy Scripture and upon the teachings of Christ, and
Therefore we shall
it will then stand upon a firm basis.

put the foundation and the corner-stone of our wisdom
upon three principal points, which are first, Prayer, or
a strong desire and aspiration for that which is good.
It is necessary that we should seek and knock, and
thereby ask the Omnipotent Power within ourselves, and
remind it of its promises and keep it awake and if we
do this in the proper form and with a pure and sincere
heart, we shall receive that for which we ask, and find that
which we seek, and the doors of the Eternal that have
been closed before us will be opened, and what was hidden
before our sight will come to light.
The next point is
Faith not a mere belief into something that may or may
not be true, but a faith that is based upon soul-knowledge, an unwavering confidence, a faith that may move
mountains and throw them into the ocean, and to which
everything is possible, as Christ has Himself testified.
:

;

:

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

13

The third point is Imagination. If this power is properly
kindled in our soul, we will have no difficulty to make it
harmonise with our faith.
person who is sunk into

A

deep thought, and, so to say, drowned in his own soul, is
like one who has lost his senses, and the world looks upon

But in the consciousness of the Supreme
and he is, so to say, the confidential friend of
God, knowing a great deal more of God's mysteries than

him as a
he

fool.

is wise,

all those that receive their superficial learning through
the avenues of the senses; because he can reach God
through his soul, Christ through faith, and attract the

Holy Ghost through an exalted imagination. In
way we may grow to be like the apostles, and to

But with all his piety Paracelsus was no bigot. He
was an enemy of hypocrisy, ceremonial service, and pious
He says " If you pray publicly, to what
ostentation.
It will only be the beginning and
purpose will it serve ?
the cause of idolatry, and therefore it has been prohibited
:

by

Christ."

He

we should ignore or treat with
forms
of religion, and imagine ourexternal
contempt
selves superior to them ; but he taught that we should
did not teach that
all

try to outgrow and rise above all externalism, and become
members of the true inner Church of Christ. Therefore
"

Let us depart from all ceremonies, conjuraand all similar delusions, and
and
confidence
our
will,
heart,
solely upon the true
put
We must continually knock and remind God in
rock.
If this is done sincerely,
us to fulfil His promises.
without hypocrisy, with a true and pious heart, we will
If we abandon
then obtain that for which we seek.

he says

:

tions, consecrations, &c.,

selfishness, the door (of

be opened
revealed
"

"

for us,

our higher consciousness) will
is mysterious will be

and that which

(Philosophia OccuLta).
Salvation is not attained by fasting, neither by wear.-

PARACELSUS

14

ing a particular kind of clothing, nor by beating one's

Such things are all superstition and hypocrisy.
the beginning of the world, has created all
from
God,
things holy and pure, and they need not be consecrated
by man. God Himself is holy, and all that He made out
self.

ing

own

It is for us, by becomholy will is also holy.
"
of God in all things
holiness
the
to
recognise
holy,

of His

(Philosophia Occulta).
During the time of the Reformation, when the mental
atmosphere was in a state of great commotion, when

everybody contended either for Luther or for the Pope,
Paracelsus stood above the quarrelling parties, and rejected
"
all sectarianism, for he said :
Among all sects there is

none which possesses intellectually the true religion. We
must read the Bible more with our heart than with our
brains, until at some future time the true religion will
come into the world." His sympathies, however, went
with the liberal Protestants, and he expressed himself in
" The enemies
regard to the action of Luther as follows
of Luther are to a great extent composed of fanatics,
knaves, bigots, and rogues.
Why do you call me a
'
c
Medical Luther ?
You do not intend to honour me by
:

giving

know

me that name, because you despise Luther.
of no other enemies of Luther but those

But I
whose

kitchen prospects are interfered with by his reforms.
Those whom he causes to suffer in their pockets are his
it to Luther to defend what he says,
be responsible for what I may say. Whoever

enemies.

and I
is

I leave

shall

Luther's

enemy

will deserve

you wish to Luther you wish
both to the

my contempt.
also to

me

;

That which
you wish us

fire."

Such were the true

characteristics of this great man.
The accusations brought against him by his opponents
show that his faults have been so grossly exaggerated that
the very absurdity of the charges brought against him

He

has

this accusation

has

renders such statements incredible and harmless.

been represented as a drunkard, and

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

i$

letter which he
wrote to some students of the University of Zurich, and in
which he addresses them as Combibones optimi. It seems,

been based upon a passage occurring in a

however, more probable that the partnership in drinking
alluded to in this expression was meant to refer to the
" wine "
_of_J?isdom rather than to any more material
liquid ;
serious

moreover, the contents of that letter are very

and pathetic, and show no indication of frivolity
It has also been ascertained that
or a love for debauch.
Paracelsus up to his twentieth year never drank any
intoxicating drinks, and even if it should be found that
he afterwards drank wine, such a fact could easily be
explained by the general custom of those times, according
to which even the most honourable and respected persons
(Luther included) were in the habit of "drinking each
other's health."

If we, moreover, take into consideration

the quantity and quality

of his works, which were all
written within a period of time covering fifteen years, we
may be permitted to conclude that he could not have

accomplished such a work in a state of that continual
intoxication in which, according to the statement of his
"
enemies, he must have remained.
Therefore," says
"
Arnold in his " History of Churches and Heretics (vol.

" the
regprt
is a

is disproved by the fact that
a man who
drunkard could not have
^Iutton>and
been in possession of such divine gifts."
Paracelsus has been accused of vanity and boasting,
and the fact is, that he was proud of the attributes or accomplishments manifested in him ; but he did not glorify
ii.

cap. xxii.),

own

person, only the spirit that exalted his soul
himself
surrounded by ignorance, misjudged and
Seeing
misrepresented, but conscious of his own strength, he
his

asserted his rights.

He maintained

that the value of the

truths he taught would be appreciated in due time, and his
prophecy has proved to be true. It was this consciousness

"I
of his superior power that inspired him to exclaim :
know that the monarchy (of mind) will belong to me, that

PARACELSUS

16

I do not praise myself, but
will be the honour.
Nature praises me, for I am born of Nature and follow
1
She knows me and I know her/'
her.
His language is not that of a boaster, but rather that
of a general who knows that he will be victorious, when

mine

he writes: "After me, ye, Avicenna, Galenus, Rhases,
You after me, not I after yon,
Montagnana, and others
!

ye of Paris, Montpelier, Suevia, Meissen, and Cologne ; ye
of Vienna, and all that come from the countries along
the Danube and Rhine, and from the islands of the ocean

;

you Dalmatia, you Sarmatia, Athens, Greece,
It is not for me
Follow me
Arabia, and Israelita
the
is
mine
because
Come
to follow you,
monarchy.
The time will come
out of the night of ignorance!
when none of you shall remain in his dark corner who
will not be an object of contempt to the world, because I
2
shall be the monarch, and the monarchy will be mine."
This is not the language of vanity and self-conceit ;

you

Italy,

!

it

is

!

rather the language either of

wisdom or of

because extremes resemble each other.

folly,

Paracelsus was

proud of the spirit^ thatspoke through him ; but personally he was modest anJself-sacrificing, and he well
knew that a man would be a useless thing if he were not
overshadowed by the
"

Remember

that

spirit of the

Supreme.

God has put a mark upon

He

says

:

us, consisting

in our shortcomings and diseases, to show to us that we
have nothing to pride ourselves about, and that nothing

comes within the reach of our full and perfect understanding ; that we are far from knowing absolute truth,
and that our own knowledge and power amount to very
little

indeed."

Personal vanity and ostentation were not the elements
to be found in the character of Paracelsus
-they were
the customs of the physicians of that age ; but it is a
daily occurring fact, that he who exposes and denounces

the faults of others appears to the superficial observer as
1

J4br.

Paramirum," Preface.

3

"Libr. Paragranum," Preface.

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

17

boasting of his own superiority, although no such motive
may prompt him. And as Paracelsus was not slow to
"
criticise the ignorance of the
learned," it was necessarily
the
that
he
looked upon himself as
vulgar
supposed by
more learned than all others, and they had not the
capacity to know whether or not he was justified in such
He was, however, far superior
an estimate of himself.
in

medical

skill

to all

his

apparently miraculous cures

colleagues,

and performed

among many

patients that

had been pronounced incurable by the leading doctors
a fact that has been proved by Erasmus of Rotterdam, a
most careful and scientific observer. Among such patients
were not less than eighteen princes, on whom the best
In his thirtyphysicians had tried their arts and failed.
third year he was already an object of admiration for
the laity, and an object of professional jealousy for the
He also incurred the wrath of the latter by
physicians.
treating many of the poorer classes without pay, while
the other physicians unrelentingly claimed their fees.
The most common reward for his labour was ingratitude,

and this he earned everywhere, not only in the houses of
the moderately wealthy, but also among the rich; for
instance, in the house of the Count Philippus of Baden,
whose case had been given np as hopeless by his physiciana
Paracelsus cured the count in a short time, who in return
showed great penuriousnesg towards him. Moreover, the
ingratitude of that prince caused great joy to the enemies
of Paracelsus, and gave
ridicule and slander him

them a welcome opportunity
more than ever.

to

Accusations of a different order are brought against
him, referring to the bluntness of his style of writing,
which was not always refined or polite. It should, how-'
ever, be remembered that such a style of speaking and
writing was universally used in those times, and objectionable expressions were adopted by all, not excluding
Luther, the great Reformer, who, in spite of his genius,
was a mortal man. Paracelsus was a great admirer of

B

PARACELSUS

18

Luther, and even surpassed him in enthusiasm for re*
Luther seemed to him
freedom.
ligious and intellectual
to

be

too conservative.

still

He

believed that such a

world of
gigantic revolution in the

mind could not be

accomplished with meekness and condescension^ but that
it

He

required firmness, tenacity, and an unbending will.
" I know that I am a man who does
says of himself:

not speak to every one only that which might please him,
am not used to give submissive answers to arro-

and I

I know my ways, and I do not iwish to
gant questions.
I am a
change them ; neither could I change my nature.
rough man, born in a rough country ; I have been brought

and I may have inherited some knots.
seems
which
to
me polite and amiable may appear
That
to
another, and what seems silk in my eyes
unpolished
but
be
homespun to you."
may
Great abuse has been heaped upon Paracelsus by his
enemies on account of his restless and roaming way of
He acquired his knowledge, not in the comfortliving.
able manner in which the great majority of scientists
acquire theirs, but he travelled all over the country on
foot, and went wherever he expected to find something
that might be useful to know.
He writes " I went in
I have
search of my art, often incurring danger of life.
not been ashamed to learn that which seemed useful to
me even from vagabonds, executioners, and barbers. We

up

in pine-woods,

:

know

that a lover will go a long

how much more

he adores:

way

to

will the

meet the woman
wisdom

lover of

be tempted to go in search of his divine mistress "
!

(Paragranum : Preface).
He says " The knowledge to which we are entitled is
not confined within the limits of our own country, and
does not run after us, but waits until we go in search of
No one becomes a master of practical experience in
it
his own house, neither will he find a teacher of the
secrets of Nature in the corners of his room.
We must
seek for knowledge where we may expect to find it, and
:

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS

ig

vhy should the man be despised who goes in search of
t? Those who remain at home may live more combrtably, and grow richer than those who wander about ;
Dut I neither desire to live comfortably, nor do I wish to
>ecome rich.
Happiness is better than riches, and happy
s he who wanders about, possessing nothing that requires
He who wants to study the book of Nature
lis care.
nust wander with his feet over its leaves.
Books are
itudied by looking at the letters which they contain;
Mature

is

studied by examining the contents of

her

reasure-vaults in every country.
Every part of the
vorld represents a page in the book of Nature, and all

he pages together form the book that contains her great
evelations."

So little has Paracelsus been understood by the profane,
hat even to this day he is supposed to have advocated
he very superstitions which he tried to destroy. For
nstance, far from encouraging the superstitious practices
"
>f the
The planets and stars on
star-gazers, he says :
he sky neither build up a man's body, nor do they
mdow him with virtues and vices, or any other qualities
The course of Saturn lengthens or shortens
whatsoever.
and although Nero was of a martial
he
was not the child of Mars, nor Helena
emperament,
he daughter of Venus. If there had never been any
ifoon on the sky, there would be nevertheless people
tobody's

life;

uclined to lunacy.
The stars force us to nothing, they
ucline us to nothing they are free for themselves, and
;

re are free for ourselves.

It is said that a wise

man

the stars; but this does not mean that he
ules over the stars in the sky, but over the powers that
re active in his own mental constitution, and which are
ules over

ymbolised by the visible stars in the sky
Paracelsus did not read or write much.

(Phttosophia

He

says that

he never read a book, and his disciples
that he dictated his works to them without using

or ten years
estify

"

PARACELSUS

20

On

any memoranda or manuscripts.

taking

an

in-

ventory of his goods after his death, a Bible, a Biblical
Concordance, a Commentary to the Bible, and a written

book on Medicine were
in his possession.

all

Even

the books that could be found
earlier

than Luther he

had

publicly burned a Papal bull, and with it the writings
He says : " Reading never made
of Galen and Avicenna.

Medicine is an art, and requires practice.
a physician.
it were sufficient to learn to talk Latin, Greek, and
Hebrew to become a good physician, it would also be
sufficient for one to read Livius to become a great coruIf

mander-in-chief.

I began to study

my

art

by imagining

that there was not a single teacher in the world capable
to teach it to me, but that I had to acquire it myself.
It was the book of Nature, written by the finger of God,

which I studied

not those of the scribblers, for each

down the rubbish that may be found in
and who can sift the true from the false ? My

scribbler writes
his

head

;

accusers complain that I have not entered the temple of
'
But which
knowledge through the legitimate door.
one is the truly legitimate door ? Galenus and Avicenna
1

or Nature ?

I have entered through the door of

Nature

:

her light, and not the lamp of an apothecary's shop, has
illuminated my way/
1

Great stress was laid by his accusers upon the fact
that he wrote the greater part of his books and taught
his doctrines in the German language, and not, as was

But this was one of his most
then customary, in Latin.
important acts ; because in so doing he produced a reformation in science similar to the one that Luther produced
He rejected the time-honoured use of the
in the Church.
Latin language, because he believed that "the truth could
as well be expressed in the language of the country in
which he lived. This daring act was the beginning of
free thought in science, and the old belief in authorities
began to weaken. It is probable that Paracelsus would

never have attained his knowledge

if

he had permitted

THE LIFE OF PARACELSUS
mind

his

SI

and imprisoned by the

to be fettered

idle for-

malities that were connected with a scientific education
at that time.

Here it may not be improper to add a few opinions concerning Theophrastus Paracelsus from persons of repute
JordanuB Brunus says : " The highest merit of Para:

celsus

is,

that he was the

first

to treat medicine as a

philosophy, and that he used magical remedies (hypnotism,
suggestion, &c.) in cases where the physical substances

were not
J. B.

sufficient."

van Helmomt :

"

Paracelsus was a forerunner of

He was sent by God, and endowed
knowledga He was an ornament for his

the true medicine.

with divine
country, and

all

that has been said against

him

is

not

to be listened to."

worthy
Opposed to

this

there

are the opinions of

certain

"

authorities," whose memory does not longer exist, but
who may be quoted as specimens of learned ignorance :

Lilanius

:

"

Opera Paracelsi sunt

cloaca, monstrosa,

jactantia rudiate, temeritate conflata."

K. G. Neumann: "No one can take up a book of
Theophrastus without becoming convinced that the man
was insane."

Very recently one medical

authority, while

acknow-

ledging publicly the high merits of Paracelsus, said that
the consequence of the promulgation of his doctrines was
the growth of a sickly mysticism.
This may be true,
but Paracelsus cannot be blamed for the inability of

who do not understand him ; we may just as well
make Jesus Christ responsible for the introduction of the

those

Inquisition and other follies that arose from a misinterpretation of what He taught.
It is true that it is very difficult, if not altogether
impossible, to understand the writings of Paracelsus

without possessing a certain amount of

and

intuition.

The writings

spiritual insight
of Paracelsus deal especially

with metaphysical and not with corporeal things.

Thus,

PARACELSUS

2$

when he speaks

of

"

Sulphur," he, like other
Alchemists of his times, refers to a certain active energy
or form of the will, for which even modern science has
not yet invented a name, and for which the term
for instance,

"

"

"

"

as
Mercury
Sulphur is a symbol, in the same sense
" Salt " for
a symbol for intelligence,
is
substance,
"Venus" for love, and so forth. One would therefore

vainly inquire at the chemist's shop for the "sulphur"
"
If any one wanted to
of Paracelsus, for he says :
the
sulphur, and if it were proper
thoroughly describe
which
it
is
to do so,
not, paper alone would not be
sufficient for that purpose.

To the sulphur belongs a

artist, well experienced and capable to
think profoundly ; not a mere talker and theorist, who
He who
is only great in preaching but does not act.

good worker and

own power) will be
more miracles than I can describe. He
who does not know the sulphur knows nothing, and can
knows how

has to be taken in an allegorical and mystical sense,
which was well understood by the Alchemists of his
time, but for which modern erudition has no comprehension ; because with the knowledge of spiritual mysteries

and secret powers of Nature, the meaning of the symbols
It is
representing those things has also been lost.
therefore not surprising to see that Paracelsus is very
little understood even by his admirers, and that the
majority of his researchers seem to be far more concerned
about his person than about his philosophy.
Moreover, Paracelsus uses a terminology of his own.
He deals in his writings with many subjects, for which
his language

had no appropriate terms. 1

He

therefore

1
Appropriate terms for the subjects referred to are only found in Eastern
languages, especially In Sanscrit.

WRITINGS OF PARACELSUS

23

invented a great many words of his own to express his
meaning, and only few of his words have obtained the
To facilitate the
right of citizenship in our language.

study of the works of Paracelsus, his disciples, Gerhard
Dorn, Bernhard Thurneyssen, and Martin Ruland, composed dictionaries to explain the meaning of such curious
The one compiled by Buland, entitled " Lexicon
terms.

Alchemicum" (Prague, 1612), is the most complete. Guilhelmus Johnson published the same under his own name
at London in 1660, and it has been incorporated into the
greatest collection of alchemical writings, the "Bibliotheca
Ohymica Curiosa," by J. T. Mangets (Geneva, 1702).
"

"

was written by
and added to the Geneva publication.
But as all these books have become very rare, and can
only be obtained with difficulty and at a great expense,
we therefore add Jselow a complete list of his favourite

Another
a certain

Dictionarium Paracelsicum

Bailiff,

terms, for the benefit of those
complete works.

who may wish

to read his

THE WRITINGS OF PARACELSUS.
Paracelsus wrote personally not a great deal.
He
dictated
that
which
he
desired
to
be
into
usually
put

The greatest part of his works
writing to his disciples.
therefore in the handwriting of his disciples.
Few of
the works of Paracelsus were printed during his lifetime.
Those that were printed consist of his seven books, " De
Gradibus et Oompositionibus Beceptorum et Naturalium,"
Basel, 1526; and of his "Chirurgia Magna," printed at
is

The rest of his writings did not become
publicly until after bis death, and it is to be
such as Adam
regretted that his disciples and followers
"Dim, 1536.

known

von Bodenstein, Alexander von Suchten, Gerhard Doru,
Leonhard Thurneyssen, Peter Severinus, Oswald Orall,
Melchior Schennemanu, and others
delivered them in
such a state of confusion to the printer, that frequently

PARACELSUS

$4

entire pages were missing, and it was very difficult to
put those that were to be had into some order.

Separate editions of the works of

Paracelsus were
in
Feierabend
Frankfurt, by
published by Hieronymus
Arnold Byrkmann in Cologne, and by Peter Barna in
Basel.

Simultaneously a great

many spurious

prints

and

writings, falsely attributed to Paracelsus, were put into
circulation, as appears from a note by Antiprassus

who

says that Paracelsus wrote 35 books on
235 on Philosophy, 12 on Politics, 7 on
If we remember
Mathematics, and 66 on Necromancy.
that Paracelsus was engaged in literary labours for only
Siloranus,

Medicine,

fifteen years, it appears self-evident that Siloranus referred
all the books and papers that were put into
and
attributed to Paracelsus by the public.
circulation,
John JIuser, doctor of medicine at Grossglogau, undertook a critical examination of such works, on the request
of the Archbishop Prince Ernst of Cologne. He collected

in his note to

with great labour all the autographs of Paracelsus and
the original manuscripts of his disciples, such as could be

found

them
1589

he put them into order, and revised and published
at Cologne in a general edition during the years
and 1590.
That collection contains the following
;

Paramirum of the Five Causes of Disease. 2 Second Book, Paramis
Book of the Generation of Man. 4 Paragranum. 6 Paragranum,
Second Book. 6 History of the Country of Kaernthen. 7 Defence and
Answer respecting some Misrepresentations made by his Enemies.
1

Letter of the Country of
i.e.,
Kaernthen to Theophrast. u Of Organic Powers. u Of the Three First
M Letter about
Elements. 18 Of the Cause and Cure of the Ordinary Pest.
the Pest to the Town of Sterzingen. u Two Books on the Cause and
of the Origin of Stones

w Three more Books on the Pest. v Collections of
Origin of the Peat.
Notes on the Pest. 18 On Diseases coming from the Tartarus. 19 Theo20
His Answer. ffl Book on
phrastus' Letter to Erasmus of Rotterdam.
^ On Tartaric Diseases.
** Book of Fourteen
Jaundice.
Paragraphs.
84
On Diseases causing Insanity. * On Contracted and Paralysed Memv On Gout. ffl Two more
bers. a Diseases caused by Astral Influences
Books on Gout. ^ On the Cause, Origin, and Cure of Nervous Diseases
and Epilepsy. 3 On Displacements of the Uterus. ** Diseases in Moon,
tainous Regions.

w On

Types

of Diseases.

PARACELSUS

26
33

Practicae particularis sen Curationis

34.

(Fragment.)
Etliche Consilia Medica.

36.

37.

De

\

Stercore et Aegritudinibus en hoc oreundis.

eorum

Autographs.
j-

38.

De anatomia oculonim
bua

39.

Auslegung primae sectionis Aphorismorum'

et

affectioniJ

Sources

Hippocrates.

42.

De modo phlebotomandi.
De urinis et pulsibus.
De modo pharmacandi.

43.

Archidoxorum Libri X.

40.
41.

not mentioned.

\

48.

De Benovatione.
[Autographs.
De Vita longa. (German.) *
De Vita longa. (Latin.)
Some fragments in German.
De praeparationibus libri duo.

Cure of Tartaric Diseases. w Some Written Consultations.
Medical
86 Health and Disease.
^ Excrementive Substances and
Fragments.
**
The Eye its Anatomy and Diseases.
Diseases caused by them.
19
*
How
Explanation of the First Sections of Hippocrates' Aphorisms.
to Let Blood. 41 Diagnostics from Urine and Pulse. 42 Pharmaceutics.
43
45
The Book of Archidoxes. ** Renewal.
Long Life. 4e Ditto.
47
**
* How
Various Fragments.
Preparations of the Second Book.
88

:

to make Spirit of Vitriol. w The Essential Nature of Things.
tive Tincture."
Vexations.
Alchemical Treasures.

w Instructions in the Science of DivinaExplanation of Astronomy.
w Natural
"
10
The Book Azoth, or the
Astronomy.
Fragments.
Tree of Life. 1W Fundamental Doctrines of Magic.
Explanation of
1M The
Thirty Magic Figures.
Prophecies for Twenty-four Years.
Predictions of Theophrast. 103 Explanations. lw Astrological Predictions.
96

tion.

m

m

II.

EXPLANATION'S OF TEEMS USED BY
PARACELSUS.

Including some other Terms frequently used by Writers on
Occultism.

" Since the
days of the unlucky medieval philosophers, the last to write
upon these secret doctrines of which they were- the depositaries, few
men have dared to brave persecution and prejudice by placing their
knowledge upon record. And these few have never as a rule written
for the public, but only for those of their own and succeeding times

who possessed the key to their jargon. The multitude, not understanding them or' their doctrines, have been accustomed to look upon
them as either charlatans or dreamers." H. P. BLAVATSKY: lai*
Umeiled,

vol.

i.

ABESSI, or REBIS.

Refuse; dead matter; excrementitious sub-

stances.

ADBCH.

The inner

(spiritual)

man;

the lord of

bought and

imagination, forming subjectively all things in his mind, which
the exterior (material) man may objectively reproduce. Either
of the two acts according to his nature, the invisible in an
invisible, and the visible one in a visible manner, but both act
correspondingly. The outer man may act what the inner man
thinks, but thinking is acting in the sphere of thought, and
the products of thought are transcendentally substantial, even
if they are not thrown into objectivity on the material plane.
The inner man is and does what he desires and thinks. Whether
or not his good or evil thoughts and intentions find expression
on the material plane is of less importance to his own spiritual
development than to others who may be affected by his acts, but
less

by

his thoughts.

Earth (literally and allegorically).
" The
or AZAR.
Philosopher's Stone." This is not
a stone in the usual sense of that term, bub an allegorical
expression, meaning the principle of wisdom on which the

ADMISUBAT..

ADROP, AZANE,

philosopher

who

has obtained

it

by

practical experience (not

PARACELSUS

30

who is merely speculating about it) may fully rely,
he would rely on the value of a precious stone, or as he would
trust to a solid rock upon which to build the foundation of his
the one
as

(spiritual) house.

ACTHNA. An invisible, subterrestrial fire, being the matrix from
which bituminous substances take their ori^n, and sometimes
"
n
producing volcanic eruptions. It is a certain state of the soul
of the earth, a mixture of astral and material elements, perhaps
1
of an electric or magnetic character.

Elemental spirits of fire spirits of Nature. They may
appear in various shapes, as fiery tongues, balls of fire, &c.
"
2
They are sometimes seen in spii itual stances."
A'KlsA. An Eastern term.
Living primordial substance, corresponding to the conception of some form of cosmic ether
pervading the solar system. Everything visible is, so to say,
condensed A'k&sa, having become visible by changing its supraethereal state into a concentrated and tangible form, and everything in nature may be resolved again into A'k&sa, and be made
invisible, by changing the attractive power that held its atoms
together into repulsion ; but there is a tendency in the atoms
that have once constituted a form, to rush together again in the
previous order, and reproduce the same form and a form may
therefore, by making use of this law, be apparently destroyed
and then reproduced. This tendency rests in the character of
the form preserved in the Astral Light.
ALOAHEST. An element which dissolves all metals, and by which
all terrestrial bodies may be reduced into their
primum, or
the original matter (A'kasa) of which they are formed. It is a
power which acts upon the Astral forms (or souls) of all things,

ACTENICL

;

;

Em

capable of changing the polarity of tbeir molecules, and thereby
The power of Will is the highest aspect of
the true Alcahest In its lowest aspect it is a visible fluid able
to dissolve them.

to dissolve all things, not yet known to modern chemistry.
ALCHEMY. A science by which things may not only be decomposed
and recomposed (as is done in chemistry), but by which their
essential nature may be changed and raised higher, or be transmuted into each other.
Chemistry deals with dead matter
alone, but Alchemy uses life as a factor.
Everything is of a
threefold nature, of which its material and objective form is
its

lowest manifestation.

There is, for instance, immaterial
and invisible astral gold, and the

spiritual gold, ethereal fluid
1

It

is

an element in the

life of

"
the " great snake Vasuki, that accord-

Hindu mythology encircles the world, and by whose movements
earthquakes may be produced. H. P. B.
8
They are the Devaa of fire in India, and bulls were sometimes sacrificed to them.-H, P. B.
ing to

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS

3!

The two former are, so
and by employing the
spiritual powers of the soul we may induce changes in them
that may become visible in the objective state. Certain external
manipulations may assist the powers of the soul in their work ;
but without the possession of the latter the former will be
solid visible, material and earthly gold.
to say, the spirit and soul of the latter,

Alchemical processes can therefore only be
perfectly useless.
successfully undertaken by one who is an Alchemist by birth or
by education. Everything being of a threefold nature, there is
a threefold aspect of Alchemy. In its higher aspect it teaches
the regeneration of the spiritual man, the purification of the
mind, thought, and will, the ennobling of all the faculties of the
In its lowest aspect it deals with physical substances, and
soul.
as it leaves the realm of the living soul, and steps down to
hard matter, it ends in the science of modern chemistry of the
present day.
The substance of a body free from all earthly matter
ethereal or astral form.

ALGOL.

ALTJECH.

ANATOMY.

The pure spiritual body
The knowledge of the

;

its

(the Atma).
parts of which a thing

is composed ; not merely of its physical organs and limbs, but of its
elements and p inciples. Thus the knowledge of the sevenfold constitution of the universe embraces the anatomy of the Macrocosm.
i

ANJADUS.

ANIADUM.

The spiritual activity of things.
The spiritual (re-born) man;

the activity of man's
the Seat of Spiritual Consciousness.
ANIAJDA. The activities that are caused by astral influences, celestial powers ; the activity of imagination and phantasy.
ANYODEL The spiritual life ; the subjective state into which the
higher essence of the soul enters after death, and after having
It corresponds to the conlost its grosser parts in Kama-loca.
spirit in his

mortal body

;

ception of Devachan.
being created

A

.,
by the power of the imagination
concentration of thought upon the A'kasa by which an
ethereal form may be created (Elemental^, Succubi and Incubi,
Vampires, &c.). Such imaginary but nevertheless real forms
may obtain life from the person by whose imagination they are
created, and under certain circumstances they may even become

AQUASTOR.

by a

visible and tangible.
ARCHATES, or AROHALLES. The element of the mineral kingdom.
ARCHAEUS. The formative power of Nature, which divides the
elements and forms them into organic parts. It is the principle
of life ; the power which contains the essence of life and charac-

ter of everything.

ARES.

The

spiritual principle

of each thing.

N

;

the cause of the specific character

PARACELSUS

32

ASTRA.

States of mind, either in the mind of man or in the uni
Each mental state in the mind of man corresponds

versal mind.

to a similar condition in the mental atmosphere of the world, and
mind of man acts upon the universal mind, so that mental

as the

atmosphere reacts upon him.

The invisible ethereal body of man or of any other
thing ; the physical form being merely the material expression
of the astral body, which builds up the external form.
universal and
ASTRAL LIGHT. The same as the Archaeus.
ASTRAL BODY.

A

living ethereal element, still more ethereal and highly organised
than the A'kdsa. The former is universal, the latter only cosmic

our solar system. It is at the same time
viz., pertaining to
an element and a power, containing the character of all things.
It is the storehouse of memory for the great world (the Macrocosm), whose contents may become re-embodied and reincarnated
in objective forms ; it is the storehouse of memory of the little
world, the Microcosm of man, from which he may recollect
past events. It exists uniformly throughout the interplanetary

more dense and more active around certain
on account of their molecular activity, especially around
the brain and spinal cord of human beings, which are surrounded
by it as by an aura of light It is this aura around the nervecells and nerve-tubes by which a man is enabled to catch impressions made upon the astral aura of the cosmos, and thereby to

spaces, yet it is

objects

" read in the Astral
Light." It forms the medium for the transmission of thought, and without such a medium no thought
could be transferred to a distance. It may be seen by the
clairvoyant, and as each person has an astral aura of his own,
a person's character may be read in his Astral Light by those
who are able to see it. In the case of a child who has not yet
generated any special characteristics, that emanating aura is
milk-white ; but in the adult there is always upon this fundamental colour another one, such as blue, green, yellow, red,
dark-red, and even black.
Every living nerve has its astral
aura, every mineral, every plant or animal, and everything of
life, and the glorified body of the spirit is made to shine by its

light

ASTROLOGY. The science of the "stars ;" i.e., of the mental states
in the mind. It is not to be confounded with modern physical
astronomy.
This term is frequently used by Paracelsus, and means
the same as Astral Light, or the special sphere of mind belonging to each individual, giving to each thing its own specific

A STRUM.

qualities, constituting, so to say, its world.
AVITCHI. An Eastern term.
state of ideal spiritual wickedness
a subjective condition ; the antitype of Devachan or Anyodei,

A

;

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS

33

The

creative principle in Nature ; the universal panacea
AZOTH.
or spiritual life-giving air. It represents the Astral Light in
its aspect as the vehicle of the universal essence of life
in
;

art of divining by
flowing water, looking into cups, into stones, &c., all of which
methods are calculated to render the mind passive, and thereby
to enable it to receive the impressions that the Astral light may
make upon the mental sphere of the individual by detracting
the attention from external and sensual things, the inner man
is made conscious and receptive for its subjective impressions.
BRUTA. Astral force manifested in animals; second sight in
animal a ; power of fl.TiiTnq.1fl to discover instinctively poisonous
or curative medicines, &c.
;

CABALLI, CABALES, LBMTJRES. The astral bodies of men who died
a premature death that is to say, who were killed or killed
themselves before their natural term of life was over. They
may be more or less self-conscious and intelligent, according to
the circumstances in which they lived and died. They are the
souls oLtha-deacL, wandering in the sphere
of the earth's attraction (Kania-locaJ until the time arrives
when they would have died according to natural law, when the

earth-boundjuj^ing

separation of their higher principles from the lower ones takes
They imagine to perform bodily actions, while in fact
they have no physical bodies, but act in their thoughts ; but
place.

their bodies appear to them as real as ours appear to us. They
may under certain necessary conditions communicate with man

through

"

mediums," or directly through a man's own medium-

istic organisation.

OHAOMANTIA.

Divination by aerial visions

;

clairvoyance

;

second

sight

CHBBIO.
thing;

The essence or fifth principle of a
"Quint-essence."
that which constitutes its essential qualities, freed of

all impurities and non-essentials.
CLISSUS. The hidden specific power contained in all things ; the
life-force which in vegetables mounts from the roots into the

trunk, leaves, flowers, and seeds, causing the latter to produce a

new

organism.

PARACELSUS

34

CORPUS

The invisible body; the animal soul (Kamamedium between material forms and the spiritual

INVISTBILBS.

rupa)

the

j

but under

ordinary circumprinciple ; a substantial, ethereal,
stances invisible thing ; the lower astral form.
CORPORA SUPERCOELESTIA. Forms that can only be seen by the
not ordinary astral forms,
highest spiritual perception they are
but the refined and intelligent elements of the same.
;

D
DERSES.

An

occult exhalation of the earth, by means of which
Carbonic acid gases, &c., are its

plants are enabled to grow.
vehicles.

A

An Eastern term.
subjective state of happiness of
the higher principles of the soul after the death of the body.
It corresponds to the idea of Heaven, where
(See ANYODEI.)
each individual monad lives in a world which it has created by
its own thoughts, and where the products of its own spiritual

DEVACHAN.

ideation appear substantial and objective to it.
The act of foreseeing future events

DIVTNATIO.
soul's

own

light

DIVERTEILUM.

;

by means

of the

prophecy.

The matrix

of the elements,

from which the

latter

1

generated.

DTJRDALES.
'(Dryades)

Substantial but invisible beings,
elemental spirits of nature.
;

residing in trees

E
EDELPHXTS.

One who

water, or fire.
ELEOTRUM MAGIOCTM.

divines from the elements of the

air, earth,

A

composition of seven metals, compounded
according to certain rules and planetary influences ; a preparation of great magic power, of which magic rings, mirrors, and
many other things may be made.
ELEMEOTALS. Spirits of Nature. Substantial but (for us) invisible
beings of an ethereal nature, living in the elements of air, water,
earth, or fire. They have no immortal spirits, but they are made
of the substance of the soul, and are of various grades of intelli-

1
For instance, each metal has its elemental y matrix in which it grows.
Mines of gold, silver, &c., become exhausted, and after centuries (or

millenniums) they may be found to yield again a rich supply ; in the
same way the soil of a country, having become infertile from exhaustion,
will after a time of rest become fertile again.
In both cases u decomposition and a development of lower elements into higher ones takes
place.

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS
Their characters

gence.

The

They represent in their
are of a beneficial and others

differ widely.

natures all states of feeling.
of a malicious nature.

ELEMENTARIES.

35

Some

astral corpses of the dead,

from which the

spiritual part has departed, but in which, nevertheless, intellectual activity may have remained ; the ethereal counterpart

of the once living person, which will sooner or later be decomposed into its astral elements, as the physical body is dissolved
These elementaries have
into the elements to which it belongs.
under normal conditions no consciousness of their own but they
may receive vitality from a mediumistic person, and thereby for
a few minutes be, so to say, galvanised back into life and (artificial) consciousness, when they may speak and act and apparently remember things as they did during life.
They very
;

often take possession of Elementals, and use them as masks to
represent deceased persons and to mislead the credulous. The
Elementaries of good people have little cohesion and evaporate
soon ; those of wicked persons may exist a long time ; those of
suicides, &c., have a life and consciousness of their own as long
as the division of principles has not taken place. 1

most dangerous.
ELEMENTTJM. The
stances that

These are the

invisible element or basic principle of all subeither in a solid (earthly), liquid (watery),

may be

gaseous (airy), or ethereal (fiery) state. It does not refer to the
"
w
so-called simple bodies or elements in chemistry, but to the
invisible basic substance out of which they are formed.

The Thought body of Man; his conscious ethereal
counterpart, that may watch over him and warn him of the
The more the
approach of death or of some other danger.

EvESTBtrM.

physical body is active and conscious of external things, the
more is the Thought body stupefied ; the sleep of the body is
the awakening of the Evestrum. During that state it may com-

municate with the Evestra of other persons or with those of the
It may go to certain distances from the physical body
for a short time ; but if its connection with that body is broken,
dead.

the latter dies.

A

pictorial or allegorical representation of some future
events ; visions and symbolic dreams that may be produced in
various ways. There are three classes of dreams from which
may arise four more mixed states of dreams. The three pure
i. Dreams that result from physiological conditions ;
classes are
2. Dreams that result from psychological conditions and astral

EBODINIUM.

:

1
This division takes place in consequence of the opposite attraction of
matter and spirit. After it is accomplished, the astral body will be dis-

solved into

A,

P

its

SINNBTT

elements, and the spirit enter into the spiritual state.
:

&*

PARACELSUS

36

caused by spiritual agency. Only
;
3. Dreams that are
the latter are worthy of great consideration, although the former
may occasionally indicate important changes in the planes to

influences

which they belong for instance, a dream of a nail being driven
into the head may predict apoplexy, &c.
;

F
FIRMAMENT.

The soulsphere

of the Macrocosmos,
respectively

that of the Microcosmos.

FLAGAE.

Spirits

spirits that

secrets of man ; familiar spirits
seen in mirrors and reveal secret things.

knowing the

may be

;

G
GAMATHEI, or GAMAHEU. Stones with magic characters and pictures, possessing powers received from astral influences.
They
may be made by art or in a natural manner. Amulets, charms.
GIGANTES. Elementals having the human iorm, but of superhuman
size.
They live like men, and are mortal, though invisible
under ordinary circumstances.
GNOMI, PYGMAEL, CUBITALI. Little Elementals having the human
form and the power to extend their form. They live in the
element of the earth, in the interior of the earth's surface, in
houses and dwellings constructed by themselves.

Artificially made human beings, generated from the
sperm withoit the assistance of the female organism (Black

HOMUNOTTLL
magic")

HOMUNOULI IMAGUNOXTLAE.

Images made of wax,

clay,

wood,

&c.,

that are used in the practice of black magic, witchcraft, and
sorcery, to stimulate the imagination and to injure an enemy, or
to affect

an absent person in an occult manner

at a distance.

ILEOH PRIMUM, ILEIAS, ILEADUS. The first beginning primordial
power ; causation.
ILEOH SUPEENATURALE. The union of the superior and inferior
;

astral influences.

ILEOH MAGNUM.

The

specific healing

power

of medicine,

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS
ILBOH ORUDUM.

The combination

of a

;

of its three con-

sulphur, and mercury,
respectively the elements of earth,

stituent principles, represented

or body, soul, and spirit

body out

37

by

salt,

and fire.
ILEIADES. The element of the air the vital principle.
IUASTBB. The hidden power in Nature, by means of which all
things grow and multiply primordial matter materia prima
water,

;

;

A'kSsa.

Iliaster

;

;

the balsam of Nature. E. secuninherent in matter. E. tertius : the astral

primus :

life

;

dus : the power of life
power of man. E. qua/rtus : perfection

the power obtained by
the mystic process of squaring the circle.
IHAGINATIO. The plastic power of the soul, produced by active
;

consciousness, desire, and will.
Effects of a passive imagination, which may give
rise to various bodily affections, diseases, malformations, stig-

IMPRESSIONES.

mata, monsters (hare-lips, acephali, &c.), moles, marks, &c.
Male and female parasites growing out of
the astral elements of man or woman in consequence of a lewd
imagination. 2. Astral forms of dead persons (Elementaries),
being consciously or instinctively attracted to such persons,
manifesting their presence in tangible if not visible forms,

INCUBUS and SUOOUBUS.

and having carnal intercourse with their victims. 3. The
astral bodies of sorcerers and witches visiting men or women
for immoral purposes. The Incubus is male, and the Succubus
female.

KAMA -Loo A. An

Eastern term. Region of Desire. The soulsphere (third and fourth principle) of the earth not necessarily on the earth's surface where the astral remnants of the
deceased putrefy and are decomposed. In this region the souls
of the deceased that are not pure live (either consciously or in

a

state of torpor) until their

Kama-rupas

(bodies of desire) are

death, and they themselves having been
disintegrated, the division of the higher principles takes place.
The lower principles being disposed of, the spirit, with his
laid off

by a second

purified affections and the powers he may have acquired during
his earthly existence, enters again into the state of Devachan.
Kama-Loca corresponds to the Hades of the Greeks, and to

the purgatory of the

ELEMENTARIES.)

Roman

Catholic Church

the

Limbw.

PARACELSUS

38

LEFFAS. Astral bodies of plants. They may be rendered visible
out of the ashes of plants after the latter have been burned.
(See PALING- KNKSIS, in the Appendix.)
LEMTTRES. Elemental of the air ; Elementaries of the deceased ;
rapping and tipping

producing physical manifesta-

spirits,"

tions.

The world

LIMBUS (Magnus).

as a

the universe ; Chaos, in which
the world is made.

whole

is

;

the spiritual matrix of

contained that out of which

M
Wisdom

the science and art of consciously employing
invisible (spiritual) powers to produce visible effects.
Will,
love, and imagination are magic powers that every one possesses, and he who knows how to develop them and to use
them consciously and effectually is a magician. He who uses
them for good purposes practises white magic. He who uses

MAGIO.

them

;

for selfish or evil purposes is a black magician. 1
Paraterm Magic to signify the highest power of the

celsus uses the

human

spirit to

The

of good.

control all lower influences for the purpose
employing invisible powers for evil pur-

act of

poses he calls Necromancy, because the Elemental ies of the
dead are often used as mediums to convey evil influences.

Sorcery

not Magic, but stands in the same relation to Magic
Sorcery deals with the forces of the
and animal
mt Magic with the supreme power
is

as darkness to light.

human
of the

soulj

'

spirit.

MAQISTBRIUM.

The medicinal

virtue of medicinal substances, pre-

served in a vehicle.

A magic power by which heavy bodies may be lifted
without any great physical effort ; magical suspension levitation.

MAXGONARIA.

;

usually accomplished by changing their polarity in regard
to the attraction (gravity) of the earth.
It

is

MATRICES. The vehicles of things elementary bases.
MELOSINAE.
Elemental spirits of water, usually appearing in
female forms, but which may also take the forms of fishes or
snakes. They have souls, but no spiritual principle
but they
may obtain the latter by entering into a union with man. (The
;

;

fourth principle uniting with the
their true form

;

fifth.)

The human shape is
They are also

their animal forms are assumed.

called Undines.
1

See

"Magic, White and Black;
Hartmann,
1

Hnite Life,' by Dr. F.

or,

The

Science of Finite

and In

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS
METAPHYSICS.

The

science of that

not purely spiritual

which

is

"

39
"

supersensual

but

consequently the knowledge of the astral
plane, the ethereal elements in the organism of man and of
Nature, the anatomy and physiology of the "inner man," the
;

correlation of spiritual energies, &c. &c.
r

lhe Universe; the great world, including all
MACROOOSMOS.
visible and invisible things.
MIOROCOSMOS. The little world. Usually applied to Man. A
smaller world is a Microcosmos if compared with a larger one.
Our Solar System is a Microcosm in comparison with the Universe, and a Macrocosm if compared with the Earth. Man is a
Microcosm in comparison with the Earth, and a Macrocosm if
compared with an atom of matter. An atom of matter is a
Microcosm, because in it are all the potentialities out of which
a Macrocosm may grow if the conditions are favourable. Everything contained in a Microcosm in a state of development is
contained in the Microcosm in germ.
MONSTRA. Unnatural usually invisible beings, that may spring
from corruption or from unnatural sexual connection, from the
from the effects of a morbid
(astral) putrefaction of sperma, or
imagination. All such and similar things may pass from the
state ; because " objective "
relative terms, and refer rather to our
capacity to perceive them, than to any essential qualities of
What may be merely subjective to a person in
their own.

merely subjective into the objective

and "subjective" are

may be fully objective to one in another
for instance, in delirium tremens and insanity, subjective
hallucinations appear objective to the patient
one

state of existence

state

:

The essence of life contained in some vehicle. (Prana,
Vitality; clinging to some material substance.) Parts of the
human, animal, or vegetable bodies, if separated from the organism, retain their vital power and their specific action for a while,
as is proved by the transplantation of akin, by vaccination,

MUMIA.

poisoning by infection from corpses, dissection wounds, infection from ulcers, &c. (Bacteria are such vehicles of life.) Blood,
excrements, &c., may contain vitality for a while after having been
removed from the organism, and there may still exist some sympathy between such substances and the vitality of the organism ;
and by acting upon the former, the latter may be affected. 1

A

1
case is cited in which a plastic operation was performed on a man's
nose by transplanting on it a piece of skin taken from another person.
The artificial nose answered its purpose for a long time, until the person
from whom the piece of skin was taken died, when the nose is said to
have rotted. Cases are also known in which persons have felt a pain
caused by the pressure of a stone upon a recently amputated leg that,

PARACELSUS

40

Original matter ; the matter of all things j
the ultimate essence ; essentiality of the inner nature ; specific
quality of the semi-material part of things. All forms come
originally from the Mystenum magnum, and all return to it in
the end ; the Parabrahman of the Vedantins.

MTSTERIUM MAGNUM.

MYSTICISM AND MYSTIC KNOWLEDGE
Mystical is that which is
mysterious and occult, and therefore not generally known.
Mysticism generally refers to a morbid craving for gratifying
a curiosity to know all about spooks, witchcraft, black magic,
true mystic knowledge is soul -knowledge, and is based
&c.
upon the development of the power of the soul to distinguish
between that which is real, eternal and permanent, and that
which is illusive, temporal, and subject to change.
;

N
NECROCOMICA. Visions of future events in the air.
NECROMANTIA. Sorcery ; witchcraft the art of employing the unconscious Elementaries of the dead by infusing life into them,
;

and employing them for evil purposes.
NECTROMANTIA. The perception of the interior

science that deals with things that transcend
and are generally little known.
It deals

sensual perception
especially with

effects that

cannot be explained by the uni-

known laws of Nature, but whose causes are still a
mystery to those who have not penetrated deep enough into the

versally

secrets of

Nature to understand them

correctly.

What may

be

occult to one person may be fully comprehensible to another.
The more the spirituality and intelligence of man grows, and
the more it becomes free of the attractions of sense, the more
will his perceptive power grow and expand,
processes of Nature appear occult to him.

and the

less will the

without their knowledge, had been buried, and the pain instantly ceased
when the stone was removed. This sympathy existing- between man's
consciousness and his body

is

the cause that the astral form of a dead
"

may keenly feel any injury inflicted upon his corpse. The " spirit
a suicide may feel the effects of a post-mortem examination as severe!}

person
of

as

if

he had been cut up while

alive.

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS

PARAGRANUM (from para

over,

and gra/n/wm

kernel).

41

The science

that deals with the very heart of things, taking into account
their mysterious origin.

jpara=over, and mvrare= admire). The science
which deals with that which is spiritual, wonderful, elevating,
holy, and admirable in Nature.
PENATES or PENNATES, LARES, HERCIL, ETESII, MEILICHIL Spirits

PAUAMIEUM (from

of the elements of fire, as well as imps, hobgoblins, &c., attached
to particular places, haunted houses, &c.
They may produce
"
noises,
physical manifestations," stone-throwing, &<x

Plates of metal with magic symbols written or engraved upon them.
They are used as charms, amulets, &c.,
against diseases caused by evil astral influences.

PENTAOULA.

PHANTASMATA.

Creations of thought; "spirits" living in solitary
places (they may be produced by the imagination of man, and
be able to communicate with him) ; hallucinations.

Omen ; signs of future events.
Spirits of the Element of the Earth ; being the products
of a process of organic activity going on in that element, by
which such forms may be generated. They are dwarfs and

PRAKSAGIUM.

PYGMAEL

quite microscopical beings, ever at

war with the Gnomes.

B
An

Form.
Eastern term.
Kama-rupa, form caused by
Mayavi->upa, illusive form caused by the will and
imagination of a person who consciously projects his own astral

BUPA.

desire;

reflection as that of

any other form.

S
Elementals or spirits of Nature.
SAHMANDRL Salamanders ; spirits living in the element of

SAGANI.

SALT, SULPHUR,

AND MERCURY.

The

fire.

three constituent states or

principles of the cosmos, corresponding to Substance, Energy,
and Consciousness.
Spiritual powers, qualities, virtues, depending on the
quality and quantity of the elements that produce them. Such
powers are thought, love, hate, imagination, hope, fear, &c.

SOAIOLAE.

SIDEREAL BODY.

The same

as the astral soul or the

body formed

by thought
SOMNIA.

i.

Dreams.

2.

The

invisible astral influences that one

PARACELSUS

42

A

person may
person may exercise over another in his dream.
thus make another person dream what he desiies him to perceive or the astral body of one sleeping person may converse
with that of another ; or such astral bodies of living persons
may be impressed or be made to promise to do certain things
after awakening, and they will then keep such promises when
;

they awake.
This term

is used very indiscriminately, a fact that
may
cause great confusion. In its true meaning spirit is a unity, a
one living universal power, the source of all life ; but the word

SPIRIT.

spirit and spirits is also used very often to signify invisible, but
nevertheless substantial things
forms, shapes, and essences,
eleinentals and elementaries, shades, ghosts, apparition", angels,

and

devils.

SPIRITISM.
believing

The dealing with spooks, ghosts, elementals, &a, and
them to be the immortal spirits of departed human

beings.

SPIRITUALISM. The science of that which is spiritual, the contrary
"
the understanding of religious truths, based
of " materialism
;

upon

spirituality.

SPIEITUS VITAB. The vital force a principle taken from the elements of whatever serves as a nutriment, or which may be
"
imparted by magnetism."
SPIRITUS ANIMALIS. Astral power, by which the will of the inner
principles in man is executed on the sensual and material plane ;
;

T
THKOSOPHIA. Supreme wisdom, acquired by practical experience,
by which it is eminently distinguished from merely speculative
philosophy. Theosophy, or divine self-knowledge, is therefore
not to be confounded with theosophical doctrines that are the
result of theosophical knowledge
to say nothing about the idle
dreams and vagaiies which are often dealt out under the name
"
of
theosophy," and which have brought this term into general
;

disrepute.

TRARAMES.

An

invisible

power that may communicate with man

through sounds, voices, ringings of

bells, noises, &c.

EXPLANATIONS OF TERMS

43

u
QMBRATILES. Shadows ; astral appearances becoming visible and
sometimes tangible (modern spiritistic form manifestations); 1
the Scin-lecca, or wraith, or the German Doppelgaenger of a
person. They may become visible by attracting ethereal material
elements from the body of a medium, or any other person in

whom

there

cohesion of his lower elements in conseon account of inherited peculiarities
or they may attract them from the surround-

is little

quence of some

disease, or

of his organisation

;

ing atmosphere. Their life is borrowed from the medium, and
if it were prevented to return to the medium, the latter would
be paralysed or die. (See EVESTRUM.)

Astral forms living at the expense of persons from
they draw vitality and strength. They may be either
the astral bodies of living persons, or of such that have died,
but which still cling to their physical bodies buried in the grave,
attempting to supply them with nutriment drawn from the

VAMPIRES.

whom

living,

and thereby

to prolong their

own

existence.

are especially well known in the south-east of Europe
2
Servia, Russia, &c. (Vourdalak).

Such

cases

Moldavia,

Elemental spirit** that give men occult powers
over visible matter, and then feed on their brains, often causing
3
A great number of physical mediums have
thereby insanity.

Well-authenticated cases of vampires may be found in Maximilian
" Isis Unveiled."
Perty's works and in H. P. Blavatsky's
"
"
8
They assist physical mediums to lift material objects without any
visible

means.

III.

COSMOLOGY

THE power that was active in the formation of the world
was God the Supreme Cause and Essence of all things,
;

being not only the Father of the Son, but of all created
1
things that ever were, that are, or will be ; the Yliaster,
This
the primordial and original Cause of all existence.
Power is, was, and will be the eternal Constructor of the
"
"
world, the
Carpenter of the universe, the Sculptor of
forms. Creation took place through the inherent Will of
that Creative

Mat

Power being expressed in the

"

Word " 2

or

and efficient thought), in the same manner
8
as if a house would come into existence by a breath.
The cause of the beginning of creation was in the eternal
inherent activity of the immaterial Essence, and all things
were invisibly or potentially contained in the First Cause,
or God.
(active

When
it,

creation took place the Yliaster divided itself;
and dissolved, and developed out of

so to say, melted

the Ideos or Chaos (Mysterium
or Primordial Matter).

itself

Limbus major,

magnum,

Iliados,

This Primordial

Essence is of a monistic nature, and manifests itself not
only as vital activity, a spiritual force, an invisible, incomprehensible, and indescribable power; but also as
vital

matter, of which the substance of living beings
4
In the Limbus or Ideos of primordial matter,

consists.
1

From

8

The

8

By

tiX-rj,

forest,

and

astro,, stars

or worlds.

Xcryoy.

the breath (out-breathing) of Brahma.

4

This means that Life is the cause of matter and force. Force and
matter are originally identical 5 they are only two different modes of one

and the same cause or substance which is called Life, and which is itself
an attribute or function of the supreme cause of all existence. Modern
44

COSMOLOGY

45

invested with the original power of life, without form,
and without any conceivable qualities in this, the only

matrix of

created things, the substance of all things
It is described by the ancients as the
Chaos, and Las been compared to a receptacle of germs,
out of which the Macrocosmos, and afterwards by division
all

contained.

is

and evolution in Hysteria

1

specialia, each separate being
All things and all elementary
substances were contained in it, in potential but not in
actu, in the same sense as in a piece of wood a figure is
contained, which may be cut out by an artist, or as heat

came

into

existence.

contained in a pebble, that may manifest
a spark if struck with a piece of steel. 8

is

its

essence as

The Magnus Limbus is the nursery out of which all
creatures have grown, in the same sense as a tree may
grow out of a small seed ; with the difference, however,
that the great Limbus takes its origin from the Word of
God, while the Limbus minor (the terrestrial seed or
sperm) takes it from the earth. The great Limbns is

the seed out of which all beings have come, and the
little Limbus is each ultimate being that reproduces its
form, and that has itself been produced by the great.
discoveries go to prove the unity or identity of matter and energy. Recent
researches in chemistry, and comparisons made between the chemical,
musical, and colour scales seem to indicate that the cause of the difference
single bodies is not caused by an essential
difference of the substances of which they are composed, but only a difference in the number of their atomic vibrations.

between the heterogeneous

1

"Mysteriuin" is everything out of which something may be developed,
A seed is the "mysterium" of a
is only germmally contained in it.
plant, an egg the mysterium of a living bird, fee. If Eastern mythology
sayfe that the universe came out of an egg put into the water by Brahma
(Neuter) or Ideation, it implies the same meaning as the Mysterium magnum
of Paracelsus; because the egg represents the mysterium, the water the life,
and the spirit hatches out of it the Creative God, Brahma (Masculine).
2
It seems that Paracelsus anticipated the modern discovery of the
"
"potency of matter three hundred years ago.

which

3 The Yliaster of Paracelsus
corresponds to the "33!? of Pythagoras and
Empedocles, and it was Aristotle who spoke first of the form in potentia
before it could appear in actu the former being called by him "the
H. P. Blavatsky.)
privation of matter." (Note by

PARACELSUS

46

The

Limbus has

little

the qualifications of the great

all

has an organisation
one, in the same sense as a son
"
As it is above, so it is
similar to that of his father.
below."

As creation took place and the Yliaster dissolved,
Ares, the dividing, differentiating, and individualising
All propower of the Supreme Cause, began to act.
There
duction took place in consequence of separation.
were produced out of the Ideos the elements of Fire,
Water, Air, and Earth, whose birth, however, did not
take place in a material mode or by simple separation,
but spiritually and dynamically, just as fire may come
out of a pebble or a tree come out of a seed, although
there is originally
"

seed.

Spirit is

no

fire

in the pebble nor a tree in the
is Spirit, and Life and

living and Life

one
and yet it does not talk,
for it is the Spirit that talks by means of the tongue, and
without the Spirit the tongue would be silent, because
The elements, too, have
the flesh alone cannot talk/'
Spirit produce all things, but they are essentially

and not two.

each one

its

The tongue

own

talks,

Yliaster, because all the activity of
is only an effluvium ot the same

matter in every form

But

fountain.

as from the

seed grow the roots with

their fibres, afterwards the stalk with its branches

and

and lastly the flowers and seeds; likewise all
beings were born from the elements, and consist of
elementary substances out of which other forms may
leaves,

come

into existence, bearing the characteristics of their
1
The elements, as the mothers of all creatures,
parents.

are

of

They

an

all

eternal

invisible

spiritual

2
nature, and have souls.

spring from the Mysterium magnum, which is
and therefore the spiritual elements, and all

life,

1
This doctrine, preached 300 years ago, is identical with the one that
has revolutionised modern thought after having been put into a new
shape
and elaborated by Darwin ; and is still more elaborated by the Indian
in
the
H.
P.
Kapila,
Sankhya philosophy. (Note by
Blavatsky.)
*
Everything, whether it may manifest itsejf as matter or as force, is
a trinity.
essentially

COSMOLOGY

47

the beings that have been formed of such elements, mast
be eternal just as a flower consists of elements similar
to those of the plant on which it grows.
;

"

Nature being the Universe, is one, and its origin can
It is an organism in which
only be one eternal Unity.
all natural things harmonise and sympathise with each
It is the Macrocosm.
other.
Everything is the product
of one universal creative effort

;

the Macrocosm and

man

They are one constellation,
(the Microcosm) are one.
one influence, one breath, one harmony, one time, one
metal, one fruit

There

is

"l

(Pkilosophia

ad

Athenienses).

nothing dead in Nature.

Everything

is

organic and

living, and consequently the whole world
to
a living organism.
be
"There is nothing
appears
which
does
a
not
soul hidden in it.
corporeal
possess
There exists nothing in which is not a hidden principle

of

Not only the things

life.

that move, such as

men

and animals, the worms of the earth, and the birds of the
air and the fishes in the water, but all corporeal and
essential things have life."
There is no death in Nature,

and the dying of the

beings consists in their return into the body of their
mother ; that is to say, in an extinction and suppression
of one

form of existence and

activity,

and

in a re-birth of

the same thing into another and more interior world, in
a new form, possessed of new faculties that are adapted
This description of the sympathy existing between Man and Eternal
recalls to memory the old frroirav and the WILTVOM fuat ffvppta.
JAM, ffvfjnrafcia, vavra, of Hippocrates, and it especially reminds us of the
"Timteus" of Plato and the "Emerides" of Plotin, in which works the
whole of Nature is represented as a living and rational being (ft><>),
1

Nature

having come into existence by the

man

will of the

Supreme Cause.

The head

there pictured as being an imitation of the peripheric constitution of the world.
The basis of the natural philosophy of Paracelsus
is the evidently existing correspondence, correlation, and harmony beof

is

tween the human constitution and the constitution of the starry world,
including all terrestrial things, and this philosophy is almost identical
with that of Plato, which speaks of the formation of all things in the
inner world according to eternal patterns existing in the realm of the pure
Ideal.

PARACELSUS

48

"Two factors are discernible
to its new surroundings.
its body (form) and its Activity (qualities).
in each thing
The latter is nothing else but an effluence of the Supreme
Cause because everything exists from the beginning in
God, into whose unmanifested state all things will return
in the end, and from whose power they all receive their
deserve on account of their
qualities, or whatever they
capacity to receive or attract it.
Life is an universal omnipresent principle, and nothing
"
It cannot be denied that the air gives
is without life.
life

grow from the earth

to all corporeal things, such as

of each thing is a
;
and
an
There
invisible
intangible spirit
spiritual being,
is nothing corporeal which has not within itself a spiritual essence, and there is nothing which does not contain
Life is
Life is something spiritual.
a life hidden within.
not only in that which moves, such as men and animals,
but in all things ; for what would be a corporeal form
The form may be destroyed; but
without a spirit?
the spirit remains and is living, for it is the subjecThere are as many spirits and lives as there
tive life.

hers (organised beings) it acts quickly.
Each element
has its own peculiar living existences, belonging to it
1
Such existences or beings, living in the
exclusively.
invisible elements, are the elemental spirits of Nature.

They are beings of the Hysteria
which

will return

specialia, soul-forms,

into their chaos, and

who

are not

capable of manifesting

any higher spiritual activity because
do
not
the
they
possess
necessary kind of constitution in
which an activity of a spiritual character can manifest
1

For instance, fishes in the water, blood-corpuscles in the blood,
animalculse in putrid fluids, bacteria in impure air, &<x &c,

COSMOLOGY

7i

49

Otherwise they live like animals, or even like
beings, and they propagate their -species.
By the
knowledge of ether (A'k&sa) we may come into contact

itself.

human

with such beings, and there are some of them that know
1

the mysteries of the elements.
" Matter
is, so to say, coagulated smoke, and is connected with spirit by an intermediate principle which it
all

receives from the Spirit.

This intermediate link between
matter and spirit belongs to all three kingdoms of Nature.
In the mineral kingdom it is called Stannar or Trughat,2
8
and it forms, in conin the vegetable kingdom Leffas ;
nection with the vital force of the vegetable kingdom,
the Primum Ens, which possesses the highest medicinal
4
This invisible ethereal body may be resurproperties.
rected and made visible from the ashes of plants and
animals by alchemical manipulations.
The form of the
6
be
to
thus
made
original body may
appear and disappear.
In the animal kingdom this semi-material body is called
Evestrun), and in

human

beings

it is called

the Sidereal

Each living being is connected with the Macrocosmos and Microcosmos by means of this intermediate

Man.

element or Soul, belonging to the Mysterium magnum,
from whence it has been received, and whose form and
qualities are determined by the quality and quantity of
"
the spiritual and material elements.
As all things come from the same source, containing
the primordial substance of all things, they are all intimately related to each other and connected with each

and are

other,

Any

difference

arises only
1

and fundamentally a unity.
between
two dissimilar things
existing
essentially

from a difference in the forms in which the

Each Elemental may know the mysteries

of that element to

which

it

belongs.
9

The Astral body (Linga-sharira) of minerals, plants, and animals.
Astral protoplasm.
4
Perhaps this may serve as a clue to explain the action of homoeopathic
medicines.
"
"
See Appendix :
Palangenesis of Plants.
8

P

PARACELSUS

50

Such a

differ-

primordial essence manifests its activity.
ence is caused by the different grades through which
such forms have passed in the progress of their evolution

and development.
with
[NOTE. If we compare the teachings of the Eastern sages
the cosmology taught by Paracelsus, and substitute the Sanscrit or
the Tibetan terms used by the former for those invented by the
latter, we find the two systems almost, if not wholly, identical
According to the Eastern sages, there is a ceaseless activity going
on during the state of Pralaya (the night of Brahm), in that incomprehensible eternal First Cause that may be looked upon in one
of its many aspects as being Matter, Motion, and Space, in an
absolute sense, which is

beyond the grasp of our relative concepthe unconscious latent life inherent in it.
This is the Yliaster of Paracelsus, the "root of Matter," or
Mulaprakriti of the Vedantins, out of which Prakriti (Matter)
and Purusha (Space) become manifest as body and form. In this,
The Absolute, Infinite, and Unconditioned, being the endless aggretion.

Its

motion

is

gation of everything conditioned and finite, the germs or potentialities of all things are contained.
It is the Llmbus Chaos of
Paracelsus, and the germs contained in it are developed by the action
of the Universal Mind, Dyan-Chohans, and the power of Wisdom,
to use the Tibetan words.
Thus the Universe may be said
be a product of Cosmic Ideation and Cosmic Energy, acting, not at
random or in an arbitrary manner, but according to a certain order
produced by previous causes, which are themselves the effects of
other causes, and which constitute the Law. The existence of this
inevitable and unchangeable law is frequently alluded to by Para-

Fo-hat

to

He says, for instance, in his book, " De Origine Morborum
Invisibilium"
"Does not holy writ say that God spoke :
I
not the God who made the dumb and the deaf, the blind and the
seeing? What else does this mean, but that he is the creator of all
celsus.

Am

:

"

The writings of the Buddhists teach
things, of good and of evil ?
the same doctrine, saying that there is only One Power, Swabhdvat.
It cannot act otherwise than according to the law of cause and
effect,
and that makes a useful tree grow as well as a useless stone in the
bladder, according to the causes that have been produced by previous effects. Each act and each thought has a cause, and the
cause of the cause is the Law.]

Man, as such, is the highest being in existence, because
him Nature has reached the culmination of her
In him are contained all the powers
evolutionary efforts.
in

COSMOLOGY
and

all

51

tbe substances that exist in the world, and he

In him wisdom may
become manifest, and the powers of his soul good as
well as evil
may be developed to an extent little
dreamed of by our speculative philosophers. " In him are
"
contained all the Coelestia, Terrestria, Undosa, and Aeria
that is to say, all the forces and beings and forms that
may be found in the four elements out of which the
Universe is constructed. Man is the Microcosm containing
constitutes a world of his own..

in himself the types of all the creatures that exist in the
"
world, and it is a great truth, which you should seriously
consider, that there is nothing in heaven or upon the
earth which does not also exist in Man, and

God who

is
9

in heaven exists also in man, and the two are but One/
Each man in his capacity as a member of the great
organism of the world can be truly known only if looked

upon in his connection with universal Nature, and not as
a separate being isolated from Nature. Man is dependent
for his existence on Nature, and the state of Nature
depends on the condition of mankind as a whole. If we
know Nature we know Man, and if we know Man we
know Nature. " Whoever desires to be a practical
philosopher ought to be able to indicate heaven and hell
in the Microcosm, and to find everything in Man that
exists in heaven or upon the earth; so that the corre-

sponding things of the one and the other appear to him
as one, separated by nothing else but the form. He must
be able to turn the exterior into the interior, but this is
an art which he can only acquire by experience and by
the light of Nature, which is shining before the eyes of
1
every man, but which is seen by few mortals."
in whom Supreme Wisdom or God has become fully
a god to the extent of his wisdom, and the power which he can
exercise will extend as far as the power manifested through him will reach.
man will become an incarnation of good or evil according to the degree
in which the good or evil existing in the Universe becomes manifested
But as no one can become a Christ by merely speculating
through him.
upon the doctrines of Christ without practising them, so nobody can come
1

Thus a man

manifest

A

is

PARACELSUS

52

The science which deals with the comparison of the
Microcosm and Macrocosm for the purpose of elucidating
the nature of the two (which are in reality one), and to
bring to an understanding the rational principle governing
their activity, is called by Paracelsus, Astronomia, and this
term

is

not to be confounded with

Astronomy,

modern physical

or the science of the revolutions of the suns

and planets in cosmic space, neither does it refer to the
mathematical astrological science of the sixteenth century.
The Astronomy of Paracelsus means wisdom, or a direct
recognition of the truth, caused by a just appreciation
and comprehension of the relationship existing between
the Macrocosmos and the Microcosmos, "whereby the
nature of man becomes known through an understanding
of the upper sphere of the great world, as well as by
investigating the lower sphere of his little world, as if
they were apparently (what they are essentially) one
1

Firmament,

one Star, one Being, although appearing
2
a divided form. and shape."

temporarily in

The sphere of the Universal Mind is the upper firmament and the sphere of the individual mind the lower
firmament, but the two are intimately connected together
and are

" It

is the, knowledge of the
firmament
that
enables
ns to know the
upper (outer)
lower (inner) firmament in Man, and which teaches in
what manner the former continually acts upon and interrelates with the latter."
Upon this knowledge the true

essentially one.

science of Astrology is based.

Each, however the Microcosmos as well as the Macrocosmos are to be looked upon as having each a separate
and independent existence, and as being independent of
into possession of practical knowledge by merely
accepting a creed or a
belief in the scientific opinions of others without
any experience of his own.
1

One mind.

*

"Liber Paramirum,"

teachings of Paracelsus.

cap. 2.

This

is

the fundamental doctrine of the

The Macrocosm and the Microcosm may not

only be "compared together," but they are one in reality, divided only by
form, which is an essentially vedantio doctrine.

COSMOLOGY

53

each other, each one by reason of the individuality of
its own inherent power, notwithstanding the fact that
both have the same origin and the same life ; for the

one primordial power has become differentiated in each
separate form, and its originally homogeneous action has
become modified by the special qualities that have been
"
As
acquired by the forms in which it manifests itself.
the sky with its stars and constellations is nothing
separate from the All but includes the All, so is the
'
firmament of Man not separate from Man ; and as
'

the Universal

Mind

is

not ruled by any external being,

Man (his individual sphere of
not subject to the rule of any creature, but is an
l
independent and powerful whole."
likewise the firmament in

mind)

is

The

practical
application of Astronomia (mental
is
called Magic, a science which by investigatscience)
the
ing
parts of the whole leads to a comparison of

their ideal relations and connections, and consequently
"
to a recognition of their inner nature.
Hidden things
the
which
cannot
be
(of
perceived by the physical
soul)
senses, may be found through the sidereal body, through
whose organism we may look into Nature in the same
way as the sun shines through a glass. The inner nature

may therefore be known through Magic in
and
general,
through the powers of the inner (or second)
2
These
are the powers by which all secrets of
sight.
of everything

1 This fundamental truth of occultism is
allegorically represented in
the interlaced double triangles. He who has succeeded in bringing his
individual mind in exect harmony with the Universal Mind has succeeded
in reuniting the inner sphere with the outer one, from which he has only
become separated by mistaking illusions for truths. He who has succeeded
in carrying out practically the meaning of this symbol has become one
with the father ; he is virtually an adept, because he has succeeded in
squaring the circle and circling the square. All of this proves that Paracelsus has brought the root of his occult ideas from the East.
8 If the individual mind is one with the Universal Mind, and if the
to find out some secret of Nature,
possessor of the individual mind wishes
he does not require to seek for it outside of the sphere of his mind, but he

looks for

it in himself,

because everything that exists in Nature (which

a manifestation of the Universal Mind)

exists in

and

is reflected

ia

by him-

PARACELSUS

54

Nature may be discovered, and it is necessary that a
and become well versed in
physician should be instructed
this art, and that he should be able to find out a great
deal more about the patient's disease by his own inner
For this
the patient.
perception than by questioning
inner sight is the Astronomy of Medicine, and as physical Anatomy shows all the inner parts of the body,

such as cannot be seen through the skin, so this magic
causes of disease, but
perception shows not only all the
it furthermore discovers the elements in medicinal sub1

That which
stances in which the healing powers reside.
'
'
is
its
Spiritus (an
gives healing power to a medicine
ethereal essence or principle), and it is only perceptible
by the senses of the sidereal man. It therefore follows
Magic is a teacher of medicine far preferable to all
written books.
Magic power alone (that can neither be
conferred by the universities nor created by the awarding of diplomas, but which comes from God) is the true
teacher, preceptor, and pedagogue, to teach the art of
As the physical forms and colours of
curing the sick.
or
the
letters
of a book, can be seen with the
as
objects,
the
essence
and the character of all
thus
physical eye,
and
be
known by the inner
become
recognised
things may
that

sense of the soul."
self,

and the idea

2

of there

being two minds

is

only an illusion

;

the two

are one.
1

It would be difficult to find many practitioners of medicine possessed
of genuine powers of true spiritual perception ; but it is a
universally recognised fact that a physician without intuition (common sense) will not

We

be very successful, even if he knew all medical books by heart.
should
be guided by wisdom but not by opinions. The opinions of others
may
serve us, but we should not be subservient to them.
2
Von Eckartshausen describes this inner sense as follows : " It is the
centre of all senses, or the inner faculty of man, whereby he is able to feel
the impressions produced by the exterior senses.
It is the formative
imagination of man, whereby the various impressions that bave been received through the outer senses are identified, and brought into the inner
field of consciousness. It is the faculty
through which the spirit interprets
the language of Nature to the soul. It changes
bodily sensations into
spiritual perceptions, and passing impressions into lasting images. All the
senses of man originate in one sense, which is sensation."

COSMOLOGY

55

"I have

reflected a great deal upon the magica)
of
the
soul of man, and I have discovered a
powers
in Nature, and I will tell you that
secrets
great many

he only can be a true physician who has acquired this
If our physicians did possess it, their books
power.
might be burnt and their medicines be thrown into the
ocean, and the world would be all the more benefited by
it.
Magic inventrix finds everywhere what is needed,
and more than will be required. The soul does not
perceive the external or internal physical construction of
herbs and roots, but it intuitively perceives their powers

and virtues, and recognises at once
"This signatum (or signature)

their signatum.
is a certain organic

each natural object (in contradistinction to artificially made objects) a certain similarity with a certain condition produced by disease, and
vital activity, giving to

through which health may be restored in specific diseases
in the diseased part.
This signatum is often expressed
even in the exterior form of things, and by observing
that form we may learn something in regard to their
interior qualities, even without using our interior sight.

We

see that the internal character of a

man

is

often

expressed in his exterior appearance, even in the manner
Likewise
of his walking and in the sound of his voice.
the hidden character of things is to a certain extent
As long as man reexpressed in their outward forms.
mained in a natural state, he recognised the signatures

knew their true character ; but the more
he diverged from the path of Nature, and the more his
mind became captivated by illusive external appearances,
the more this power became lost
of things and

"

A man

who wholly belongs

to himself cannot belong

Man has the power of self-control,
to anything else.
and no external influences can control him if he exercises
this power.

The

influences of the

Macrocosm cannot so
and
and

easily impress their action upon a rational, wise,
passionless man as they do upon animals, vegetables,

PARACELSUS

sb

minerals, which they impregnate to such an extent that
may be seen in the forms, colours, and
and taste of such
be
and
perceived by the odour
shapes,
Some of these external signs are universally
their characters

objects.

known for
the number
;

indicated by
instance, the age of an elk is
of the ends and the shape of its horns;

other symbols
"

may

their true
require a special study for

l

(De Natwra fierum).
This science, resulting from a comparison of the external appearance of a thing and its true character, is
interpretation

by Paracelsus their Anatomy. There are even to
day a great many vegetable medicines used in the
prevailing system of Medicine whose mode of action is
not known, and for whose employment no other reason
called
this

has been given but that the exterior shapes of such
plants correspond to a certain extent to the form of
the organs upon which they are supposed to be acting
beneficially, and because experience has supported such
a belief.

" Each
plant is in a sympathetic relation with the
Macrocosm, and consequently also with the Microcosm,
or, in other words, with Constellation and Organism (for
the activity of the organism of man is the result of the
actions of the interior constellation of stars existing in

and each plant may be considered to
Each star in the great firmament,
and in the firmament of man, has its specific influence,
and each plant likewise, and the two correspond together.
If we knew exactly the relations between plants and
his interior world),

be a

stars,

terrestrial star.

we might say

that plant is

'

:

This star

Stella Absynthii,'

is

*

Stella Borismarini,'

and so

forth.

In this

1

In Babbitt's "Principles of Light and Colour," it is demonstrated that
each ray of colour has a certain therapeutic influence on the human
system ;
Blue acting soothingly on the circulation of the blood ; Bed
stimulating;

Yellow acting as a purgative, &c. He gives some interesting examples
of correspondences between the colours and medicinal
qualities of certain
flowers, plants, drugs,

rays.

&a, with the action

of the

above-named colour-

COSMOLOGY
way a herbarium

spirituale sidereum

57

might be

collected,

such as every intelligent physician, who understands the
relationship existing between matter and mind, should
1

because no man can rationally employ remedies
without knowing their qualities, and he cannot know
the qualities of plants without being able to read their
It is useless for a physician to read the books
signatures.
of Dioscorides and Macar, and to learn from hearsay the
possess,

opinion of others

He

who may be his inferiors in wisdom.
own eyes into the book of

to look with his

ought
Nature and become able to understand it; but to do
this requires more than mere speculation and to ransack one's brain ; and yet without that art nothing useful
can be accomplished."
Perhaps this might be made clearer by expressing the
same idea in modern language, and saying Each thing
:

a state of mind, because the whole world is mind.
Each thing is a materialised thought (a " star "), and

is

represents the character of the thought expressed in it ;
and as one thought acts upon another, so the mental
state represented by a certain plant may act favourably
upon a certain state of 'the patient's mind, and thus react

upon the body. The peculiar qualities of a plant are
those which are symbolised by its form ; all that is required to know it, is the faculty of recognising its character.

As

"

"

there is a state

and

influence which

is

called

hate," &c., so there are states of mind reprelove,"
sented in outward forms of plants, such as ffypericon
Each form
perforatum, Sambueus, Jwwperus, &c. &c.

only the materialised part and external expression of
"
"
"
aura
which it
the character of the " spirit
or the

is

represents, in the

same way as each

star in the

sky

is

only the visible part or the materialised kernel of the
"
"
which it represents 3 and whose sphere extends
spirit
1
Eckartshausen has made such a herbarium, : he gives the names of
medical plants and the names of the planets with which they are sympa-

thetically connected.

PARACELSUS

58

as far as

its influence, just

as far as its odour.

as the sphere of a rose extends
builds the form, and

The character

the form expresses the character.

But

this

character

harmony existing between the form and the

is

furthermore

remarkable in

certain other

conditions and qualities, which are often of more import" If the
ance to a physician than the external shapes.
of
medicines and
physician understands the anatomy

the anatomy of diseases, he will find that a concordance
There is not only a general
exists between the two.
the Macrocosm and the
between
relationship existing

Microcosm, but a separate and intimate interrelation
and interaction exist between their separate parts, each
part of the great organism acting upon the corresponding
part of the small organism in the same sense as the

human body are intimately connected and influencing each other, and manifesting a
sympathy with each other that may continue to exist
various organs of the

even after such organs have been separated from the
There is a great sympathy existing between
the stomach and the brain, between the mammae and
trunk."

1

the uterus, between the lungs and the heart.
There
is, furthermore, a great sympathy existing between the

mind and the thoughts and the organs

of the

human

Such a sympathy exists between the thoughts
body.
and the plants, between stars and stars, between plants

and

plants,

the

human

and between the plants and the organs of
body, in consequence of which relationship
each body can produce certain changes in the activity
of life in another body that is in
sympathy with the
former.
Thus may the action of certain specific medicines in certain diseases be explained.
As a bar of
magnetised iron induces magnetism in another bar of
iron, but leaves copper and brass unaffected, likewise a
1

Dr. J. R. Buchanan, in his "Therapeutic Sarcognomy," makes pracuse of this sympathetic relationship
existing between the various

tical

parts of the

human

body.

COSMOLOGY

59

certain plant, possessing certain powers, will induce
certain similar vital ethers to become active in certain

organs
"star/'

if

the plant and the organ are related to the same
Certain plants, therefore, act as antidotes in

same manner as fire will destroy
The
things that have not the power to resist it.
neutralisation, destruction, or removal of any specific
certain diseases, in the

all

elements producing disease, the change of an unhealthy
and abnormal action of the vital currents into a normal

and healthy

state, constitutes

the basis of the therapeutic

system of Paracelsus. His object was to re-establish in
the diseased organism the necessary equilibrium, and to
restore the lost vitality,

by

attracting the vital principles

from living objects and powers.

Remedies containing

the required quality of that principle in the greatest
quantity were most apt to replace such lost powers and
to restore health.

1

The organisms

that

is

to say, the material forms

of invisible principles
take their origin from the soul
2
of the world, symbolised as " water."
This doctrine of

Paracelsus

is therefore

the same as the ancient doctrine

of Thales, and as the old Brahminical doctrine according
to which the world came into existence from an egg
-

(allegorically speaking) laid in water (the soul)

by Brahm

He

says that by the decomposition of that
"
"
essence a mucilage is formed, containing the germs of

(Wisdom).

life, out of which, by generatio aeguwoca, first the lower
and afterwards the higher organisms are formed.

We see, therefore, that

the doctrine of Paracelsus bears

one advocated by the greatest
as
such
Haeckel and Darwin ; with
philosophers,
this difference, however, that Paracelsus looks upon the
continually evoluting forms as necessary vehicles of a
a great resemblance

to the

modern

continually progressing living spiritual principle, seeking
1

of

Thus Paracelsus employed not only the

vital

magnetism (mesmerism)

human beings, but also that of animals and plants, for the cure of disease.
"
* " The
(Gen. i. 2).
Spiiit of God moved upon the face of the waters

PARACELSUS

60

higher modes for

modern

manifestation, while many of our
the intelligent
philosophers look upon

its

speculative
and
principle of life as non-existing,

upon

life

as being

merely a manifestation of chemical and physical activity
of dead matter in an incomprehensible and causeless state
1
of development.
They see only one half of the truth.
No animal ever grew to be a man, but the divine

man, becoming incarnated in human-like animal forms,
caused these forms to become the human beings, such
as we know them at present upon our earth.
"According to the
animals before

He

God created the
The animal elements,

biblical account,

created man.

and desires existed before the Divine Spirit
The animal
illuminated them and made them into man.
soul of man is derived from the cosmic animal elements,
and the animal kingdom is therefore the father of the
animal man.
If man is like his animal father, he resembles an animal if he is like the Divine Spirit that
If
lives within his animal elements, he is like a god.
his reason is absorbed by his animal instincts, it becomes
instincts,

;

animal reason
becomes angelic.
;

if

it

rises

above his animal desires,

it

man eats the flesh of an animal,
the animal flesh becomes human flesh if an animal eats
human flesh, the latter becomes animal flesh. A man
whose human reason is absorbed by his animal desires
If a

;

an animal, and if his animal reason becomes enlightened
by wisdom he becomes an angel."
"
Animal man is the son of the animal elements out of
is

* The true doctrine has also been
taught by Jacob Boehme, an uneducated shoemaker but illuminated seer, from whom all of our great philo"
sophers have borrowed ideas. He says : The constellation is the outspoken
Word. It is the instrument through which the holy, eternally speaking

Word

speaks and produces objective forms. It is like a great harmony
voices and musical instruments.
They are interacting powers,
wherein the essence of sound (Akasha) is the substance, and this is taken
up by the Fiat and causes corporeity. This substance is the astral spirit.
In it the elements become coagulated (corporified), and thus forms are
of

many

born, comparable to the hatching of

(Myster. Afagn., xi. 26).

an egg brooded over by a hen"

COSMOLOGY

61

which his soul was born, and animals are the mirrors of
man.
Whatever animal elements exist in the world
exist in the soul of man, and therefore the character
of one man may resemble that of a fox, a dog, a
snake, a parrot, &c. Man need not, therefore, be surprised
that animals have animal instincts that are so much like
his own ; it might rather be surprising for the animals
to see that their son (animal man) resembles them so
Animals follow their animal instincts, and in
closely.

doing so they act as nobly and stand as high in Nature
as their position in it permits them, and they do not
sink thereby below that position ; it is only animal man
who sinks below the brute.
Animals love and hate
each other according to the attraction or repulsion of
their animal elements : the dog loves the dog and hates
the cat, and men and women are attracted to each
other by their animal instincts, aad love their young
ones for the same reason as the animals love theirs ; but
is animal love
-it
has its purposes and
rewards, but it dies when the animal elements die.
Man is derived from the dog, and not the dog from the
man.
Therefore a man may act like a dog, but a dog can-

such a love
its

Man may learn from, the animals, for

not act like a man.
they are his parents

;

but the animals can learn nothing

them from man. The spider makes a better
web than man, and the bee builds a more artistic house.
He may learn how to run, from the horse ; to swim, from
The animal world
the fish and to fly, from the eagle.

useful to

;

is

taught by Nature, and

and

species, so that

it

it is

may

divided into

many

classes

learn all the natural arts.

Each

species has forms that differ from those of another
species, so that it may learn that art for which it is

adapted by Nature ; but man, as a whole, has only one
kind of form, and' is not divided, and therefore the
animal soul of man is not divided, but all the animal
elements are combined in it, the reason of man selecting

what

it likes.

PARACELSUS

62
"

A

man who

loves to lead

an animal

life is

an animal

1

The same stars
ruled by his interior animal heaven.
a wolf to murder, a dog to steal, a cat
cause
that
(qualities)
to kill, a bird to sing, &c., make a man a singer, an eater,
These
a talker, a lover, a murderer, a robber, or a thief.
are animal attributes, and they die with the animal
elements to which they belong ; but the divine principle
in man, which constitutes him a human being, and by
which he is eminently distinguished from the animals, is
not a product of the earth, nor is it generated by the
animal kingdom, but it comes from God \ it is God, and is
immortal, because, coming from a divine source, it cannot
Man should therefore live in
be otherwise than divine.
harmony with his divine parent, and not in the animal
Man has an Eternal Father who
elements of his soul.
sent him to reside and gain experience within the animal
elements, but not for the purpose of being absorbed by
them, because in the latter case man would become an
animal, while the animal principle would have nothing to
gain," and would thus be led individually to speedy anni-

Fundamento Sapiential).
What, then, can be the true object

hilation (De

to attain the consciousness of one's

and to

of human life, except
own true and divine

not an animal, but a godform.
All the
divine powers are latent in man's divine nature.
If he
once realises what he actually is, he will be able to use
them and be himself a creator of forms.
state,

like

realise that

being inhabiting a

1

" Heaven "the

one

is

human animal

interior

kingdom, the mind.

IV.

ANTHBOPOLOGY

THE GENERATION OP MAN
that Aristoteles and his followers have written
about the generation of man, is not based upon observation or reading within the light of nature but consists
merely of theories which they have invented and elaborated with a great deal of cunning and trouble.
It is
and
of
truth
devoid
for
;
merely phantastry
although the
has
nature
refused
of
not
them
light
anything, it has also
;

What we teach is not the result
given them nothing.
of opinion and speculation, but of actual experience.
Our philosophy has not originated in the realm of the
imagination, but is copied from the book of nature itself.

We

believe that for the terrestrial

man there

is

no nobler

enjoyment than to know the laws of nature; but we
reject that kind of smartness and cunning which invents
systems of so-called philosophy, based upon arguments

which have no foundation in

truth.

All

that these

writers can talk about is the sensual world, such as they
perceive with their senses ; but we claim that this world

of external appearances is only the fourth part of the
actual world ; not that the world were still three times

bigger than

appears to us, but that there are still
it of which we are unconscious.
a world within the (element of) water,
is
that
there
say
and that it has its own inhabitants ; And another world
it

We

three-fourths of

within the (element of) the earth
people,

who

element

;

and there are

volcanic

live in the fourth part of the world, in the
"
of the fire
(De Gfeneratio Hominis).

PARACELSUS

64

"There are creatures having within themselves the
seed for their propagation, such as minerals and plants,
and all that has no self-consciousness; and there are
others endowed with consciousness and

life,

without any
*

seed in them, namely, animals and human beings."
Man is made out of three substances, or seeds, or

His spiritual seed is from God, and God
mother; his astral elements are developed under
the influences of the constellation (the astral plane), and
his
his mother is, therefore, the soul of the world
visible body is formed and born out of the elements of
the visible world, and thus the terrestrial world is its
"mothers."

is

his

;

mother.
*

If the whole

man were made

only out of the seed

of his parents, he would resemble his parents in every
chestnut-tree bears chestnuts, and from each
respect.
of its fruits can grow nothing else but a chestnut-tree ;

A

but the mixture of seeds

is

the cause that a son

may be

The seed (tincture) from the
very unlike his father.
brain of the father and that from the brain of the
mother make only one brain in the child, but that
tincture among the two which is the strongest will predominate and characterise the child."

Man receives his spirit and body not from his father
and mother, but from God and from nature, acting
His soul
through the instrumentality of his parents.
and body are formed in his mother, but do not originate
The three substances or elements which go to
in her.
make up the

constitution of

man

are universal

;

man

is

merely a centre or focus through which they act.
There are beings who live exclusively in only one of
these elements, while man exists in all three.
Each of
these elements is visible and tangible to the beings
1

taught that primordial man also had within himself the power
own species, while he was in an ethereal state ; but when
he became more material the female element became partly separated from
It

is

to propagate his

him and woman came into

existence,

ANTHROPOLOGY

65

living therein, and its qualities may be known to its
inhabitants.
Thus the Gnomes may see all that is going

on in the interior of the earthly shell surrounding our
planet, this shell being as air for them; the Undines
thrive and breathe in their watery world; the Sylphs
live in the air like a fish in the water, and the Salamanders are bappy in the element of the fire. A person
in whose organisation the element of earth preponderates
will have great talents for agriculture and mining; a

soul

sympathising especially with the watery element

will

endow the person with a

life,

taste

for a

seafaring

&c.

Spirit is perceptible to spiritual existences, and the
of mortals consequently appear visible and

thoughts

material to spirits

;

the Soul essence, with its currents
felt by the Elementals and

and forms, may be seen and

beings that live in th realm of the soul and they are,
also, capable of reading such thoughts as are not of a
;

too refined and spiritual character to be discerned by
them, and to perceive the states of feelings of men by
the colours and impressions produced in the auras of the

but they cannot perceive divine and spiritual
Matter, in the state in which it is known to
us, is seen and felt by means of the physical senses;
but to beings who are not provided with such senses,
material things are as invisible and intangible as spiritual
things are to those who have not developed the power of
latter;

things.

spiritual perception.

The Spiritual Essence of Man comes from the highest
It is gifted with divine wisdom and
emanation of God.
with divine power ; and if the higher elements constituting the normal man become conscious of the possession
of divine gifts, and learn to realise their powers and how
to employ them, they will be, so to say, superhuman,
and may rightly be called Divine Beings, or Sons of

the Almighty.

Whenever a

proceeds, like a ray

child is conceived, a

word

from God, which provides the future
K

PARACELSUS

66

man witli a

1

This Spirit, however, is not absorbed
new-born
the
child, but becomes incarnate
immediately by
man
the
as
grows and attains reason and ingradually,
Spirit.

2

telligence.

Many men and women

live,

and marry, and

coming into full possession of (or without
a
connection with) that divine ray of
firm
into
entering
wisdom that can alone transform them into immortal
die without ever

beings because, although the powers and essences
that go to make up their astral souls may be much more

human

;

enduring in their form than their physical bodies, still
these powers will become exhausted and these essences
be decomposed into their elements in due time, and there
is nothing that endures to the end except the Spirit of
God, that

may become manifest

in

man by

the more refined essences of the soul.

If

assimilating

no such

assi-

milation takes place in other words, if the individual
during his life does not become wise and good and

the divine ray will, at the death
spiritually enlightened
of the person, return again to the source from whence it
came ; but that individual's personality 8 will only remain
as an impression in the astral light.
There are two

kinds of intelligence in
intelligence.

man the higher and the lower
human (superhuman) intelli-

It is only the

gence that can combine and unite itself with the spirit.
intellect, however clever it may be,
and however much learning it may possess, will be lost,

The lower or animal

because

it is

not spiritual.

It is the spirit or life alone

1

This Spirit is the same spiritual ray that has overshadowed man in
his previous incarnation and afterwards become withdrawn into the divine
essence, from which it issues again.
same that incarnated before.

It

is,

therefore, not

a new

Spirit,

but

the
a

This is not to be understood as if some astral form in the human
shape were waiting to crawl into the body of the child, but that the spiritual
element gradually develops and becomes active in the child, in proportion
as the human instrument through which it desires to act enables it to
manifest that activity. An incarnation generally becomes
complete only
when the child has attained its seventh year.
8
There is a difference between individuality and personality ; personality

being a changeable

mask which

the individual ray produces,

ANTHROPOLOGY

67

that can hold forms together and prevent their dissoluand their return into chaos. Pure spirit has no
Every
personality, but exists impersonal in and as God.

tion

new

person, but not a new spiritual ray.
but the personality of man, as such,
will be lost.
Only those elements belonging to his personality that will be absorbed by the spirit will survive
with the latter.
The cement that unites the soul with
the spirit is love, and the love of God is, therefore, the
highest good attainable by mortal man.
"The animal kingdom is not without reason and

birth produces a

The

spirit survives,

and in many of its arts, such as swimming,
but the Spirit of God
flying, &c., even superior to man
is far superior to the reasoning intellect, and by means
intellect,

;

of this spirituality man may rise above the animal plane.
Therefore there is a great difference between the external and the internal man ; for the intellectuality of the

former perishes, while the wisdom of the

(De fundamento

The

latter

remains"

Sapientiw).

Man

is formed by the
the souls of the
from
coming
world and of the planets and stars, especially from the
As
soul (or astral body) of the planet whereon he lives.

astral Soul-essence

of

ethereal or astral influences

man and of each animal has its peculiar
that
it from others, so the soul of
distinguish
qualities
each planet, each sun, each world, has its peculiar characthe soul of each

teristics,

and sends out

its

beneficial or its destructive

pervading cosmic space, acting upon the
Microcosm of man, and producing finally visible results. 1
These astral elements are the organisers of the soul of
man. They are the builders of the temple in which the
spirit resides, and being energised by them, the soul of
man attracts by physiological processes the elements of

influences,

1
This is not to be understood as if the astral influences were creating
the divine soul of man. Man's spirit is from God ; his astral qualities are

developed by the astral influences, and his elementary (physical) body grows
out of the elements by which it is surrounded.

PARACELSUS

68

the earth, and forms tissues, muscles, and bones, and becomes visible and tangible to other similarly constituted
1
beings as the material or animal body of man.
Man may therefore be looked upon as a twofold being
a visible and an invisible man (or as having a material

and a

spiritual aspect), linked together

by an

astral soul.

of a corporeal thing is one thing, and that
which produces the form is another thing ; the form of

"The form

a thing arises from the form of the mystery (character).
If a builder wants to build a house, the form of the
house exists in his mind before he executes the building,

even

seen by no one except by the builder him-

if it is

The visible man consists of
self" (De Podagris, II.).
such originally invisible elements as have become visible
in his body

;

man consists of feelings and
in the Macrocosm, and their
Man
impresses itself upon matter.

the invisible

thoughts whose origin

is

light is reflected and
therefore the quintessence of all the elements,

is

and a

son of the universe, or a copy in miniature of its Soul,
and everything that exists or takes place in the universe,
exists and can take place in the constitution of man.

The

and essences making up the conwhat we call man, is the same as- the congeries of forces and powers that on an infinitely larger
congeries of forces

stitution of

scale is called the Universe.

Everything in the Universe

man, and may come to his consciousness ;
and this circumstance enables man, when he knows himself, to know the Universe, and to perceive not only that
which exists invisibly in the Universe, but to foresee and
reflects itself in

On. this intimate relationship
prophesy future events.
between the Universe and Man depends the harmony by
which the Infinite becomes intimately connected with the
1

Those anatomists, physiologists, and other scientists who claim to
all about the constitution of man, because
they have studied the
organisation, of his physical body, and deny the existence of a soul and
and iu fact the most unimportant part of the
spirit, know only a part
constitution of man,

know

ANTHROPOLOGY

6

It is th
immeasurably great with, the small.
1
golden chain of Homer, or the Platonic ring.
The object of man's existence is to "be a real Man includirL\
all that this term implies
i.e., to re-establish the harmon
which originally existed between him and the divine stat

Finite, the

9

;

before the separation took place which disturbed the equili

brium, and which caused the first emanation of the divin
essence to be absorbed by the third material emanation an<

To re-establish this harmony, Mai
bring the will of God to perfect expression in hi
nature, by learning to know within himself the will o

to sink into matter.

may

God and being

obedient to it, and thereby his own nature
even
the whole of the Macrocosm, will becomi
finally
and
be
rendered paradisaical. The individua
spiritualised
and
temperaments of men will be developed ix
qualities
a certain extent, independently of their surroundings, fr
the power of the JSns seminis, a formative power (potency
of matter.
Adam and Eve (the spiritual dual male anc
female essence) have received their body through th<
"
"
creatures (elemental or astral essences), and through th<

and

Ens

and through this never-ceasing supply mei
come into existence until the end of th<
If there were no planets and stars, and if then

seminis,

and women
world.

2

will

1
This doctrine of Paracelsus is identical with the one taught by th<
ancient Brahmins and Yogis of the East ; but it may not necessarily b<
derived from the latter, for an eternal truth may as well be recognised bj
one seer as by another, in the East as well as in the West, and two 01
more spiritually enlightened persons may perceive the same truth inde

pendently of each other, and describe

it

each one in his own manner

The terms Microcosm and Macrocosm

are identical in their meaning
Macroprosopos, or the "Short-face" anc

with the Microprosopos and
"Long-face," of the Kabala. (Note made by H. P. Blavatsky.)
3
This "end of the world," *.., of external bisexual generation, will b<
when man has again found the woman within himself from whom he hat

become separated by his descending from his spiritual state and becoming
" The Lord is not without the woman " that meam
;
gross and material.
to say that the paradisaical Man (the Karana sharita) is still male anc
one ; but man, having ceased to be " the Lord," and become i
female

m

servant to the animal kingdom in him, has ceased to recognise the true
woman in him, his heavenly bride, and seeks for the woman that whicl
Therefore man cannot enter into his original state o
is external to him.

m

PARACELSUS

70

never had been any in existence, nevertheless the children
of Adam and Eve would be born and have their particular
One may be melancholy, another choleric,
temperaments.

Such

a third sanguine or bilious, &c.

qualities of men
astral

and not from any

come from the Ens

proprietatis,
influences, for the temperaments, tastes, inclinations, and
talents form no part of the body ; that is to say, they

give no complexion, colour, or form to
attributes of the Ens proprietatis.*

it

they are the

Although, speaking in a general sense, the Microcosm
and the Macrocosm bear to each other a similar relationship as the chicken in the egg bears to its surrounding
albumen, nevertheless the action of the Macrocosm upon
the Microcosm is only an external condition of life, called
by Paracelsus, B-igest. No man or any mortal being can

but they do not
thrown into
the soil may grow and produce a plant, but it could not
accomplish this if it were not acted upon by the sun,
nor could the soil itself produce a seed, no matter how
Paracelsus explains
long the sun would shine upon it.
exist without the influence of the Astra,

come

into existence through them.

A seed

the origin of the qualities of the external conditions of
as being produced by the mutual attractions and

life

interactions existing

between the Macrocosmos and the

Microcosmos, and by the harmony of both spheres (the
upper and lower mind), of which either is formed in
accordance with the other. The common basis of both

which
is

is,

so to say, their

called

Limbus.

common

"Man

receptacle of

germs

being formed out of the

Limbus, and the Limbus being universal, and therefore
the mother of

all

things,

it

follows that all things,

unity and purity except by means of the celestial marriage (within his
such as takes place during the process of spiritual regeneration.

soul)

(See Jacob
1

What

Bo eh me.)
else can this "22ns proprietatis"

and being in possession
and temperament acquired during

reincarnating
talents,

itself,

individual being

?

mean but the human monad
of all the tastes, inclinations,
its

former existences as an

ANTHROPOLOGY

71

including man, have the same origin, and each thing is
attracted to its own original by reason of this mutual
1

relationship.
" If man

were not formed in such a manner and out

of the whole ring and of all its parts, but if each man
were made out of a separate piece of the world essentially
distinct from others, he would not be capable to receive
the influences residing in the whole.
But the soul of
the great world has the same divisions, proportions, and

parts as the soul of man, and the material body of man
receives the material body of Nature in the same sense
'
as the son receives ' the blood of his father."

A relationship

similar to the one existing between the

Macrocosm and the Microcosm exists between man and
woman, and between woman and the uterus, and between
the uterus and the foetus.
" The whole of the Microcosm is
potentially contained
in the Liquor Vitce (Prana), a nerve-fluid comparable to
the fluidic brain-substance, and in which is contained

the nature, quality, character, and essence of beings, and
which ethereal life-fluid in man may be looked upon as an
invisible or hidden
"

man

so to say, his ethereal counter-

part or reflection (JDe Generafw Hominis).
" From this nerve-aura or
liquor vitee, in the process
of the generation of man, the semen separates itself in

a manner comparable to the separation of the foam or
from a fermenting liquid, or as the quintessence
(the fifth principle) of all things separates itself from

froth

1
Aboriginal spiritual Man (male and female in one) has been created
by the will of God being active within divine wisdom ; but the woman
"
was made ont of a " rib (a power) of man. Therefore man and woman

"The
are not equals, except as far as their animal constitution goes.
matrix from which man originated was the whole world (the Ivnibus] ; but
woman came out of the nunt/nx of man. Thus "m*"1 made unto himself a
matrix, the woman, who is now to him as much as a whole world, and the
No one
spirit of the Lord is within her, informing and fructifying her.
has seen it ; but nevertheless it is in the matrix of woman. Therefore

they ought not be used for whoredom; for the spirit is in them, coming
"
from the Lord and returning to Him (Paramirum, iv.).

PARACELSUS

72

This seinen, however,

the lower elements.

not the

is

but rather a
spernia or the visible seminal fluid of man,
semi-material principle contained in the sperma, or the
1
aura seminalis, to which the sperma serves as a vehicle.

The physical sperma is a secretion of the physical organs,
but the aura seminalis is a product (or emanation) of
the liquor

vitas.

It is developed

by the

latter in the

same sense as fire is produced out of wood, in which
there is actually no fire, but out of which heat and fire
may proceed. This emanation or separation takes place
by a kind of digestion, and by means of an interior heat,
which during the time of virility becomes produced in
man by the proximity of woman, by his thoughts of her,
or by his contact with her, in the same manner as a
piece of wood exposed to the concentrated rays of the
All the organs of the human
sun can be made to burn.
and
all
their
powers and activities, contribute
system,
alike to the formation of semen
and the essences of all
are contained in the liquor vitae, whose quintessence is
the aura seminalis, and these organs and physiological
;

activities are

They

reproduced in the foetus out of this liquor.
germinally contained in the seminal
necessary for the reproduction of the human

are, therefore,

fluid that is

The spiritual semen is, so to say, the essence
organism.
of the human body, containing all the organs of the
latter in an ideal form."
Furthermore, Paracelsus makes
a distinction between Sperma caffastrieum and Sperma
iUastricwm,, of which the former is the product of the
imagination (thought), and the latter is attracted directly
from the Mysterium maffnum.*
1

That which Paracelsus

which

is

known

calls

as semen to

the semen, or seed of man,

modern

is

not that

physiologists, but a semi-spiritual
serves as a vehicle and instrument

principle to which the sperma merely
for propagation; or, to express it in other words, the
fructifying principle
does not exist in the sperma, but in the spirit (the will and
imagination)
of

man, or what

as

a vehicle, in the same sense as the body

is also

called "the tincture."
of

The sperma merely
a

man

is

serves

a vehicle for the

manifestation of his interior spirit. (See De Gener. Horn.)
2 The universal
matrix, into which the spiritual monad,

having passed

ANTHROPOLOGY
"

Woman,

73

however, being nearer to Nature, furnishes

the soil in which the seed of

man

finds the conditions

She nourishes, develops,
required for its development.
and matures the seed -without furnishing any seed herself.
Man, although born of woman, is never derived

The cause of the
from woman, but always from man.
mutual interaction of the two sexes is their mutual

The tendencies of man cause him to think
and to speculate; his speculation creates desire, his
desire grows into passion, his passion acts upon his
Thereimagination, and his imagination creates semen.
fore God has put semen into the imagination of man,
and planted into women the desire to be attractive to
The matrix contains a strong attractive power,
man.
attraction.

to attract the semen, similar to that of the loadstone to
1
attract iron."
"
The relationship existing between the Macrocosm and
Microcosm finds its analogy in the relationship existing

between the female body and the uterus. The latter
may be regarded as a Microcosm in a Microcosm. As

man contains potentially all the organs
of the parent body, so there are contained potentially
in the uterus all the attributes of the female body, the
whole of man's body is potentially contained in the semen,
the semen of

and the whole of the body of the mother is, so to say,
the soil in which the future man is made to ripen, because
all the essences and forces of her body centre in the
uterus, and there the power of her imagination is especiThus is Man the product of a secondary
ally active.
fluid, while the Macrocosmos is the product of a primorstate, finally enters, and from which it is again
attracted into new incarnations.
1 " Thus the matrix attracts the seed of both
persons, mixed with the
sperm; and afterwards it expels the sperm, but retains the seed. Thus

throngh the Devackanio

the seed comes into the matrix" (Gebaerung).
" The
matrix," however, does not mean merely the womb of a woman ;
the whole body of the woman is a mother, a "matrix" (De Morbor.
Matric.).

PARACELSUS

74

dial fluid, and as the Spirit of God in the beginning of
creation moved npon the surface of the waters (the soul)
likewise the human spirit, being diffused through the

whole of man's organism, moves upon the (seminal) fluid,
That Spirit
out of which the human form is developed.
of G-od is the vivifying and spiritualising element in the

But the human foetus passes in
process of procreation.
the uterus through an animal-like existence, receiving the
It is then like a fish in the
true spirit at a later period.
an
animal
nature
into the world."
water, and brings
The fact of the semen being formed of all parts of

the body in equal proportion explains why persons are
If for
born in whom certain organs may be missing.
some cause one part or another of the human organism
does not participate in the formation of semen, its essence
will be missing in the constitution of the seminal fluid,
and cannot reproduce the corresponding part in the
matrix.

1

If for

some cause a part

of

the

father's

organism produces a double quantity of semen, a child
will be born having supernumerary members.
"
Whatever the mother imagines and obtains, the seed
(spirit)

of that thing is attracted to the matrix, and thereof
child ; but the assertions of those astronomers

grows the

who claim that the stars make a man are erroneous, and
we will look upon such claims as a fable and joke to
which one may listen during an idle hour. There are
many fools in the world, and each one has his own
"

(ffebaerunff des Menschen).
the imagination of man is productive of semen,
likewise the imagination of the mother exerts a great

hobby

As

1
It might be objected, that if this were true, a man having lost a leg
could beget only one-legged children ; but such a superficial reasoning
would be caused by a misunderstanding of the true nature of man. The
invisible man is the essential man, the physical body only the outward
expression. If the physical body loses a limb, it does not follow that the

soul-body loses it likewise ; but if there is a congenital malformation, such
as supernumerary fingers or toes, they may be reproduced in the child ;
because nature has a tendency to acquire habits and to repeat them.

ANTHROPOLOGY

75

constructive influence upon the development of the foetus,

and upon this fact is based the similarity existing between
1
Twins and other multiple births
children and parents.
are caused if the uterus attracts the semen with more
than one single draught.

The power

of attraction which

the uterus exercises upon the seminal aura is so great
that by coming into contact with the spermatic fluid of

animals

it

may

absorb

it

and bring forth

monstrosities.

2

may therefore be said that the imagination of the
father sets into activity the creative power necessary to
It

generate a human being, and the imagination of the
mother furnishes the material for its formation and
8

development

;

but neither the father nor the mother

is

the parent of the essential spiritual man, but the germ
of the latter comes from the Mysfterium magnum, and

God is its father. Parents do not endow their children
with reason, although they may furnish the child with
a body, in which the principle of reason may or may not
4
be able to act.
Eeason is the natural birthright of
every human being; it is eternal and perfect, and need
1
This creative and formative power of the imagination may be used to
advantage for the purpose of producing male or female offspring at will,
as has also been proved by experiments made in cattle-breeding. If the

and consequently the imagination, of the female is
stronger than that of the male during coition, male children will be
produced. If on such an occasion the imagination of the male is stronger
desire or passion,

than that of the female, the child will be of the female sex. If the imagination of both parties is equally strong, a " hermaphrodite " may possibly
be the result.
2 It will
perhaps be difficult to state an example to prove this assertion ;
neither has it been disproved.
8 The effects of the
mother's imagination on the development of the
foetus are well

known

be caused by the
4
If a child, as

to the people.

effects of
is

Hare-lip, acephali, moles, &c.,

may

a morbid imagination.

often the case, manifests the same tastes, talents, and
members of the same family,

inclinations as those of his father or as other

does by no means necessarily follow that these tastes, &o., have been
by it from his parents, and the contrary often takes place.
similarity of tastes, &o., between the child and his parents would rather
go to show that the monad, having developed its tendencies in a previous
incarnation, was attracted to a particular family on account of an already
existing similarity of his own tastes with those of its future parents.

it

inherited

A

PARACELSUS

76

not be educated in the child, but

it

and driven out by dogmatism and

may be overpowered
error.

Intellectual

is often lost much
acquisitions are perishable; memory
of cerebral diseases
account
or
on
old
in
age
quicker

than

it

is

developed in youth.

1

Children

may

inherit

from their parents the powers to employ their reason,
but they do not inherit reason itself, because reason is
Man cannot lose his
an attribute of the Divine Spirit.
to
it, because reason is
reason, but he can become lost
owned by any indibe
an universal principle, and cannot
vidual man, even if it is manifested in him.
"
A man carrying seed in him (having a lewd imagination) uses no reason ; he lives only within his lusts and
morbid fancies. God has created man that he may live
as a free being within the light of nature ; therefore the
philosopher should remain free in that light and not live

in the seed of nature, which is called Allara.
God has
the
but
He
has
the
seed
into
put
given
imagination;
to man a free will, so that he may either allow himself
to be carried

what nature

away by his fancies, or rise superior
him " (Gebaerung.)

WOMAN
Woman,
like

to

desires in

AND MAKRIAGB.

human being, contains,
that exists in the Macrocosm,

in so far as she is a

man, the germs of

all

and can manifest the same mental characteristics

as

man.

Moreover, there are males with preponderating female
soul-qualities, and females in whom the male elements
are preponderating ; but woman, as such, represents the
love and desire), and man, as such,

mil (including

represents intellect (including the imagination) ; only
in the Lord, within either of them, i.e. t in their own
1

Numerous

known

in which persons of great learning have
;
others, where such persons, in consequence of a shoit sickness, lost all their memory, and had to learn to read
again, beginning with the
cases are

become simpletons

in their old age

ABC.

ANTHROPOLOGY
God, exists true wisdom.

more given to

willing,

and

77

Therefore woman, as such, is
is led by her desires
while
;

man, as such, is more given to arguing and calculating
Woman represents the substance;
causes and effects.

Man without woman is like a wandering
a shadow without substance, seeking to embody
woman is like a flower, a bud
itself in a corporeal form
opening in the light of the sun, but sinking into darkThe divine man (the
ness when man, her light, departs.
angel) is male and female in one, such as Adam was
before the woman became separated from him.
He is
like the sun, and his power may be reflected in men and
women alike ; but woman, as such, resembles the moon,
receiving her light from the sun, and man without the
substantial
spirit

;

woman

(in

him)

is

a consuming

fire

in want of fuel.

man and woman were

one, and conseOriginally,
their
not
have
union
could
been
more intimate
quently

than it actually was but man, having become separated
from the woman in him, lost his true substance.
He
now seeks for the woman outside of his true self, and
wanders about among shadows, being misled by the
illusions.
Being fascinated by the charms of the terrestrial woman, he drinks of the cup of desires which she
presents to him, and sinks into a still deeper sleep and
;

forgetfulness of the true celestial Eve, the immaculate
In this way
virgin, who once existed within himself.

woman

is the enemy of man, and revenges herself for
having been divorced from him and cast out from her
true home within his heart; but, on the other hand,
she is man's best friend and redeemer for man, having
lost the paradise in his soul, and having become unconscious of the true light which existed in him before he
went to sleep in the spirit and awoke in the flesh, would
sink into still lower degradation and descend to still
lower hells, if woman did not stand upon the threshold
;

PARACELSUS

78

and for the true heaven which he

to stop him,

him a
love,

whose origin

The Lord

is

is

lost offer

by the light of her

terrestrial paradise, illuminated

in heaven.

the same in

woman

as

He

is

in

man;

but males and females are not equals. They are constituted very differently from each other, not only
according to their mental characteristics, but also in
Male
regard to the whole of their bodily substance.
and female animals are made out of the same stuff;
but woman was not originally created; she was formed
out of a "rib" (a spiritual substance) of man, and is
therefore of a nobler and more refined kind of matter,
such as he possessed before the woman was formed from
Woman is made of the best and substantial part
him.
of

man, and
"

is

A

is

therefore the

common boor

crown of

creation.

thinks that the blood of a

the same as that of a

man

;

woman

but a physician, unless

he has been baptized with the blood of a boor, will see
"
the difference between the two (De Morb. Matric.).

Man

represents the dark, fiery will, woman the light
It is not
love-will; man the fire, woman the water.

the divine

man who

is

attracted

by any woman, but

The fiery element in man
the tincture (nature) in him.
seeks for the watery element in woman, and carries the

man

along.

longs

for sexual intercourse,

Thus

it

is

neither

man

nor

woman who

but nature in them.

There is, perhaps, no doctrine which has done more
mischief than the misconstrued teaching about affinibecause such a doctrine is
ties and soul-marriages;

God did not
willingly accepted by the carnal mind.
create souls in halves, nor can Adam find his Eve again

Man will never
unless she grows within his heart
unless he looks for her within

find his celestial bride

his internal heaven, within

"

the Lord."
Sexual cohabiwhether authorised or unauthorised by Church or
There is neither
State, is merely an animal function.
It relates
Absolute good nor absolute evil in marriage.
tation,

ANTHROPOLOGY

79

the parties entering the contract, and

to

relative.

It

and for their
animal

man

regenerated

is

therefore

serve for their edification in one case,
To the semidegradation in another.

may

it may be a school of education; but the
man requires no sexual relationship. The

procreation of children is an animal function, and he
or nnwilling to exercise it has no
is unable

who

If he, nevertheless, enters the conbusiness to marry.
a piece of stupidity, if not
commits
nubial bonds, he
1
a fraud.
It is also useless for a man to resist the claims of
nature in him, if he cannot rise superior to that nature ;
and the power for that superiority does not depend on
his human will, but comes from his higher and spiritual

nature, in which he should seek his refuge.
"
As long as the root is not, with all of its

out of the earth

(i.e.,

as long as

man

fibres,

torn

has not become

regenerated, and thereby free from sexual attractions),
he will be blind and feeble ; the spirit quick ; the fancy
strong; and the temptations so great that he cannot
unless he has been chosen for that purpose ; for
If He wants you to
things are ordained by God,
be married, and to have children from you, then all

resist,
all

your pledging yourself to chastity and your virginity
will amount to nothing.
If, in such a case, you refuse
to marry, you will then fall into whoredom, or something
still

worse.

Thus

will

God punish your

disobedience,

1 "
As there is a love between animals so that they long to dwell and
cohabit together as males and females, so there is such an animal love
among men and women, which they have inherited from the animals.

It is a deadly love, which cannot be carried higher, and belongs merely
to the animal nature of man. It springs from animal reason, and as
animals love and hate each other, so does animal man. Dogs envy and
bite each other, and in so far as men envy and fight each other they
are the descendants of dogs. Thus one man is a fox, another a wolf,
another a bear, &c. Each one has certain animal elements in him ; and
if

he

he allows them to grow in him, and identifies himself with them,
is then fully that with which he is identified"
(Dt PundamentQ

Sapientice).

PARACELSUS

8o

and your

resistance

eternal death

to the

will

of

God

will

be your

"

(De Homunculis).

to the marriage obligations, Paracelsus says :
" If a woman leaves her
husband, she is then not free

In regard

from him nor he from her for a marriage union having
once been formed, it remains a union for all eternity."
;

This means that by entering wilfully into sexual relationship with another being, we become attached to it in

and a partaker of its future Karma. A woman
a man is bound by promise and sexual intercourse becomes, as it were, a part of the man, and cannot
be divorced from him by any ceremony or external
our

to

will,

whom

They constitute, so to say, one mind, and
separation.
the component parts of the miud, which represent the
carnal man, are not separated until the time of the
1
second death.
Sexual intercourse without love is merely a kind of
onanism with a corporeal form substituted for the merely
mental image; but if sanctioned (not "sanctified") by
love, it is then a union, not merely of body, but also of

not of the spiritual soul, which needs no such
union, it being already one with all other such souls
in the substance of Christ, but a union of that which
soul;

constitutes the lower
This goes
a dead person
1

mind of man. 2

to account for cases of vampirism, when the elementary of
is still attracted to the
object of its affections and obsesses

him or her (Incubi and Succubi
2

It

make

"Spirit-husbands and "Spirit-brides").
not the flesh and bones of a man which form attachments and
and break promises, but the internal, carnally minded man ; and
:

is

man will be bound by his attachments and promises long after the
house in which he has lived (his body) will have ceased to exist. In
this

regard to this subject, Paracelsus regards
details,

it

as dangerous to give further

ANTHROPOLOGY

81

THE CONSTITUTION OF MAN.
According to Paracelsus, the constitution of man conseven principles, or, to express it more correctly, of
seven modifications of one primordial essence, which are
as follows, and to which we add their Eastern terms 1
sists of

"
"
Philosophia Sagax and his Explanations of
Paracelsus
deals
Astronomia,"
extensively with a description and explanation of these seven qualities.
The most

In his

u

important points referring to the higher principles are as
" The life of man is an astral effluvium or a
follows
balsamic impression, a heavenly and invisible fire, an
We have no better terms to
enclosed essence or spirit.
The death of a man is nothing else but the
describe it.
:

end of his daily labour, or taking away the ether of life,
a disappearance of the vital balsam, an extinction of the
natural light, a re-entering into the matrix of the mother.
natural man possesses the elements of the Earth,
and the Earth is his mother, and he re-enters into her

The
and

loses his natural flesh;

but the real

man

will

be

re-born at the day of the resurrection in another spiritual
*
and glorified body (De Natura, Rerum), 2
1

See A. P. Burnett's "Esoteric Buddhism."
Speaking of the day, of the resurrection, Paracelsus refers to a great
mystery, alluded to in St. John's Revelation, and more plainly spoken of
by the Eastern Adepts, when at the end of the Seventh Bound all the
higher recollections of the various personalities with which the spiritual
monad has been connected during its many objective existences, and which
have not become exhausted in Kama-loca, but have been preserved ix>
2

the Astral Light, will re-enter the
(divine)

field of consciousness of

the spiritual

man.

F

PARACELSUS

82

In the study of anthropology the consideration of
the divine part of man is of supreme importance ; for the
animal part of man is not the true man ; neither is
the elementary body the man; for that body without
"
Man has two
the true man within is merely a corpse.
The former is
spirits, a divine and a terrestrial spirit.

from the breath of God
the air and the
life

;

the latter from the elements of

He

ought to live according to the
of the divine spirit and not according to that of the

animal

fire.

"

(De Lunaticos).

But the

divine, immortal,

and

invisible

man

cannot be

a subject for the investigation of any science, such as
He can
deals merely with external and visible things.

known to no one except to his own self; for the low
cannot comprehend the high, and the finite mind cannot
The study of the divine man is the
contain the infinite.
be

"

Physical science deals with
the physical, and metaphysical science with the astral
man ; but these sciences are misleading and incomplete,
object of self-knowledge.

if

we

lose out of our sight the existence of the divine
"
(De Fundwm&nto Sapientia).
"
Neither the external nor the astral man is the real

and eternal man
man, but the

real

man

with the Divine Spirit
(ethereal
spirit,

is

the spiritual soul in connection
The astral soul is the shadow

counterpart) of the body, illumined by the
it therefore resembles man.
It is neither

and

material nor immaterial, but partakes of the nature of
The inner (sidereal) man is formed out of the

each.

same Litnbus as the Macrocosm, and he

is

therefore able

to participate in all the wisdom and knowledge existing
in the latter.
He may obtain knowledge of all creatures,
angels,
butes.

and

spirits,

He may

and learn to understand their

learn from the Macrocosm the

attri-

meaning

of the symbols (the forms) by which he is surrounded, in
the same manner as he acquires the language of his
parents; because his own soul is the quintessence of

everything in creation, and

is

connected sympathetically

ANTHROPOLOGY

83

with the whole of Nature; and therefore every change
that takes place in the Macrocosm can be sensed by the
ethereal essence surrounding his spirit, and it may come

and comprehension of man." *
Mortal man is a spirit, and has two bodies that are
intimately connected together, an elementary and a
These two bodies go to form one man.
sidereal body.
to the consciousness

When a man dies, his elementary body returns to the
elements of the Earth ; the Earth absorbs the whole of
his three lower principles, and nothing remains of the
The more material parts of the
form of the body.
sidereal

body undergo a similar decomposition.

This

formed of the astral elements, and is not
body
It is subject to
dependent on physical substances.
and
as
the
planetary influences,
elementary body is dissolved into the elements from which it has been taken,
likewise the astral form will in due time dissolve into
the sidereal elements to which its substance belongs.
The sidereal body remains near the decaying physical
is

body

until

it

is itself

astral influences.

decomposed by the action of the

The two bodies were

partners during

and are only separated by death. Therefore they
naturally remain near each other for a while after death,
until they are consumed by their elements, the one in
2
The decomposition
the grave, the other one in the air.
of the elementary body requires a certain length of time
according to its qualities and the qualities of its surlife,

1

mind that whenever Paracelsus speaks of the
"earthly" man, he does not refer to the elementary (physiTherecal) body, bnt to the carnal part of the mind (the lower manas).
9'
The elementary
fore, he say, "the body thinks, but the spirit wills.
body does not think; it is merely a corpse, without the "inner man,"
It ought to be kept in

terrestrial or

and the shadow of the latter. It is as such of so little importance that it
may not be at all missed, if we leave it either during a trance or after its
death.
2
If clairvoyance were at present a normal faculty of mankind, and if
men could see the astral forms of the dead hovering over the graves and

decomposing in the air, graveyards would soon be abolished, and cremation
take the place of burial.

PARACELSUS

84

roundings, and likewise the sidereal body may be decomposed slow or quick, according to the coherence of its
particles, and according to the quality and strength of

the astral influences acting upon

it.

The elementary body is corporeal, but the sidereal
body is ethereal. The elementary body is visible and
tangible ; the sidereal body

is

invisible

and intangible for

but visible and tangible for those beings that are
The elementary body
of a nature similar to its own.
cannot move on its own account from the place where it
us,

has been deposited after death; but the sidereal body

(Kama

rupa) goes to that place to which it is mostly
by its own desires. If there are no particular

attracted

pkces to attract it, it will remain near the elementary
l
but if it is attracted to other places it will visit
body
them, and it is therefore especially liable to haunt the
residence which the person occupied during his life,
being attracted there by its acquired habits and instincts.
Being devoid of reason and judgment, it has no choice
in such matters, but follows blindly its attractions.
The
sidereal body will under certain (mediumistic) conditions become visible, and it therefore can be seen at
places to which the reflex of its former passions, such
;

as envy,

avarice, repentance, revenge, selfishness, lust,
&c., will attract it, and it may remain in such places
until it is dissolved and decomposed.
If a sensitive
person asserts to have seen the spirit of a deceased

person,

we may

believe that he

body of such a person, but

has seen the sidereal

wrong to believe that
such a ghost or apparition is the real man, because it
is nothing else but the sidereal corpse that appears on
such occasions.
Such astral corpses may be seen like
the reflection of a man in a mirror until they disappear, and the
2
of another.

it

is

form of one may

last longer

than that

1
Thus there seems to be a scientific reason for offering sacrifices upon
the graves of the dead, as is the custom in China.
8 The last
thoughts and desires of a dying person, and their intensity,

ANTHROPOLOGY

85

"The art called Nigromantia (Necromancy) teaches
how to deal with such forms. It teaches their habits
and instincts, their attributes and qualities, and how
we may find out through them the secrets of the persons
As the image of a
to whom those shadows belonged.

man

in a large mirror shows the whole of his person
all his movements and actions, so by observ-

and imitates
ing the

sidereal

body of a deceased person, we can

obtain information in regard to the former appearance
and the acts and ways of that person, and find out

who he was and where he

lived

"

*

(PhUosophia SagoM^
Probatio in Scientiam Nigromanticam).
Paracelsus ridicules the exorcists, and those who say

lib.

i.

:

"
prayers and read masses for the dead, because," he says,
"the former attempt to force a sidereal corpse to talk,

while, in fact, no corpse can talk, and they can get from
it at best a reflection of their own thoughts, and the

attempt to fetch an inanimate body into a living
heaven by their pious interposition."
"
In regard to the conjurers, he says
They attempt
to conjure sidereal todies, and do not know that they are
attempting an impossibility, because such bodies have no
latter

:

sense and cannot be conjured.
The consequence is, that
the devils (certain elementals) take possession of such
sidereal bodies and play their pranks with the conjurers.
Such devils will take possession of a living man, and

a weak man act as they please, and cause him
commit all sorts of foolishness and crimes. But if
they can do this with a living soul, how much easier
then will it be for them to take possession of a dead

make

fco

a great extent, determine the locality to which such a sidereal
to be haunted for

will, to

body may be attracted. Some places have been known
a great number of years.

* It
appears from this sentence that the phenomena of "Modern
1
are not a new revelation, but were known and explained
Spiritualism
"
If he had
three hundred years ago.
Oh, the soul of poor Galen
remained faithful to truth, his Manes would not now be buried in the
'

!

abyss of

quacks

1

hell,

"

from whence he wrote

(Paragranum, Preface).

me

a

letter.

Such

is

the fate of all

PARACELSUS

86

soul which has no spiritual power to resisfc ! Therefore,
such conjurers do not deal with the spirits of the dead,
*

but with the powers of evil and the fathers of lies."
The Elementals are also the beings which may produce so-called "physical manifestations," cause the appearance and disappearance of objects, throw stones, &c.
"

In a fragment entitled " De Sagis et Barum Operibus
(On Witches and their Arts), cap. 3, he says: "In
regard to such things, you ought to know that they are
natural, and that no one can justly say otherwise but
that Nature produces them, because, if, for instance, a
blooming rose is brought in the midst of winter into a
country where there are no roses, an ordinary man will
think that such a thing took place in contravention to
Nature's laws but the Magus (the wise), who knows by
what process such phenomena are produced, knows that
they are produced according to the law of Nature, because
such a flower is brought from a country where it has
grown in a natural manner, and where there is no winter
at that time.
Thus, ice or snow may be brought with
the same facility into a warm country in the midst of
summer from another country in which it is winter.
Ignorant persons should be informed that the Magus
creates neither roses nor snow, but that he can receive
them from places where they already exist." 2
;

1

throw discredit upon the practices of
the practices of spiritualists consist in
Such practices do not
dealing with the sidereal bodies of the dead.
deserve the name Spiritualism, but ought to be looked upon as Spiritism,
and when the laws upon which our modern Spiritualism and Spiritism are
This sentence

modern

may seem

to

but not

all

spiritualists,

based are known, it will be easy enough to make a distinction. Spiritualism means a dealing with spiritual intelligences ; Spiritism, a dealing
with unintelligent or semi-intelligent invisible forms.
spiritualist
enters into the sphere of a spirit ; that is to say, he enters en rapport
with a certain mind, and writes or speaks in the spirit of the latter,
making himself a medium through which the intelligence of the latter

A

The spiritist
act, and by which means he may obtain great truths.
permits an invisible entity to enter bodily into his own physical form and
submits his body to the will of the invisible stranger.
8 The fact that such material
objects are occasionally brought by
can

ANTHROPOLOGY

87

Intimately connected with the sidereal body is the
and the Trarames.
In regard to these,
M
Paracelsus says in his " Philosophia ad Athenienses :

Evestrum

"

To speak

aspects,

of the

Evestrum in

its

mortal and immortal

we may

say that everything has an Evestrum,
The
like a shadow seen upon a wall.

and that it is
Evestrum comes into existence, and grows with the
body, and remains with it as long as a particle of
the matter composing the latter exists.
The Evestrum
originates contemporaneously with the first birth of each
form, and everything, whether it be visible or invisible,
whether it belongs to the realm of matter or to the

realm of the soul,1 has its Evestrum; but Trarames
means an invisible power that begins to be able to
manifest itself at a time when the senses of the inner
The Evestrum indicates
perception become developed.
future events by causing visions and apparitions, but
Trarames causes an exaltation of the senses.
Only those

who are gifted with great wisdom may understand the
true nature of Evestrnm and Trarames.
The Evestrum
sense of sight; Trarames the sense of
The Evestrnm causes dreams foreshadowing
hearing.
future events; Trarames communicates with man by

influences the

causing voices to speak, music to sound that may be
heard by the internal ear, invisible bells to ring, &c. 2
Whenever a child is born, there is born with him an
Evestrum, which is so constituted as to be able to
indicate in advance all the future acts and the events
If
in the life of the individual to whom it belongs.
powers is known to all who have examined the phenomena of
Spiritism; but no scientific researcher will ever discover how
done as long as he does not believe in the existence of Elementals,

invisible

Modern
this is

in regard to which little is publicly known.
1
According to the teachings of the Eastern Adepts, each of the seven
principles of man may again be subdivided into seven, and each soul has
therefore a sevenfold constitution. In other words, each of the seven
(See Jacob Boehme.)
qualities contains also the other six.
2 So-called Astral
Sells, known to all practical occultists.

PARACELSUS

88

that individual

is

about to

die, his

Evestrum may indi-

cate the approach of his death by raps or knocks, audible
to all, or by some other unusual noise, by the movement

of furniture, the stopping of clocks, the breaking of a
other omen ; but frepicture, the fall of a mirror, or any

quently such omens are neither recognised nor noticed, and
The Trarames produces manifestations
not understood.

more subjective character, and may speak to a person
*
way that is audible to him but inaudible to others."
and
after
The Evestrum of man is born with him,

of a
in a
"

2
remains in the earth-sphere,
connection
between
and there is still some sympathetic
the Evestrura and the eternal and immortal part of man,

the death of the latter

it

and it will indicate the state of happiness or misery in
which the soul of the person to whom it belongs exists.
Such Evestra are not the souls of the dead walking

upon the

earth, bufc

persons to

fche

last particle

of

whom

they are the ethereal duplicates of
they belonged, remaining until the

of the matter composing the physical bodies

the latter has been consumed."

"All Evestra originate in the Turbo, magna, the
1

The Evestrum appears

Astral
tcts
3

body

of

to be identical with the

the Eastern occultists.

The Trarames

ool-

Linga febariram, or
is the power which

on the open sense of hearing of the astral man.

They have often been seen and described as the spirits of the dead
The " Evestra" are merely states of
>y mediums and clairvoyants.
nind, or thoughts, having become endowed with a certain amount of will,
o as to render them more or less self-conscious, and, as it were, independent of the person from whom they originate, as is shown in cases
a man would be glad to get rid of some idea by which he is posbut cannot drive it away from his mind.
Such thoughts will
emam impressed on the astral light of a room which that person inabited, and such an image may even become visible and objective.
ase is known where a man became insane and was sent to an insane
sylum, where he was kept for over a year. He suddenly became well
nd went home but afterward he heard that his "ghost" was still hauntig the cell which he had occupied in the asylum, and that it was there
avmg, overthrowing the furniture, &c. He became curious to s*e his
wn " ghost," and in spite of all the warnings of bis friends, he went back
that cell, saw his "ghost," and was again observed by it, so that he
rhere

e*sed,

A

;

:>

led insane.

ANTHROPOLOGY

89

1

The Evestra prophetica
Turbo, magnet, the Evestra
into existence at the time when the

lective activity of the universe.

directly from the

proceed

obwribrata

come

The Evestra proforms to which they belong appear.
are
of
the
harbingers
great events that may
phetica*
If some such
concern the well-being of the world.
important event is to take place, they will be the fore-

runners to announce it to the world, so that the latter
may be prepared for it, and a person who understands
the true 'nature of such an Evestrum is a seer and proEven the liig'-.est God has his Evestrwm, mysteriah
phet.

by which his existence and his attributes may be re8
cognised, by which everything good may be known, and
which may illuminate every mind. All the powers of
evil, from the lowest to the highest, have their Evestra
my&teriales, which may predict future evil, and which
shed their bad influence over the world."
"
Necromantia gives its signs through the Astra,
which we also call Evestra.
They mark the bodies of
the sick and the dying with spots, showing that he will
die on the third day ; they mark the hands and fingers
9

'

of

men

with yellow spots, foreshowing fortunate events.

Through them the dead perform signs and wonders,
such as the bleeding of a corpse in the presence of the
murderer, and through their power voices are sometimes
heard from out of the tombs.
Noises and hauntings
thus
in
take
charnel-houses, and the dead
may
place
which
in
the
they used to wear while
appear
clothing

and various

be seen in mirrors, stones,
deal
water,
might be said about such
great
it
create
but
would
fears and superstitions and
things,
other evils.
This we wish to avoid, and we will thereliving,

&c.

visions

A

no more about such things, which ought not to
"
be publicly known (Signat. JRvr., ix.).
fore say

1
The Soul of the Universe. According to Jacob Boehme, it
awakened life of the inner world, perturbing Nature.
2
Direct emanations of the Universal Mind ; Thought bodies.
3 The transcendental bodies of the
Dhyan-Chobans collectively.

is

the

PARACELSUS

90

1
are Evestra in all things, and they are all
which they
prophesying spirits, whether the bodies to

"There

belong are rational or irrational, sensitive or without
These Evestra teach Astronomia (natural
him
who can understand what they say.
to
science)
The character of each thing may be known through
sensation.

its

Evestram, not by making astrological charts, calcunativities, and composing prognostics, but by

lating

looking

manner

at

as

it

with

the

mirror or at

understanding,

in

the

same

image of an object in a
the shadow of a body on the surface of the

we may look

at the

The JSns (the eternal cause
water, or upon the earth.
and character of a thing) is reflected in its Evestrum,
The form of the latter perishes, but the spirit remains.
The number and variety of Evestra are as incalculable
as that of the visible and invisible forms to which they
The Evestra of human beings know the thoughts
belong.
of men, guide their instincts, watch over them in their
sleep, warn them of dangers, and prophesy future events.

The Sibyls of the past have read the future in the Evestra,
and the Evestra have caused the ancient prophets to
"
speak as it were in a dream (Philos. ad Athenienses).
"
The world of the Evestra is a world 2 of its own,
although intimately interlaced and connected with ours.
It has its own peculiar states of matter and objects
that may be visible or invisible to its inhabitants, and
Still, it
yet corresponding to a certain extent to ours.
a world constituted differently from ours, and its

is

inhabitants can

we about

know as little about our
The firmament of the

theirs.

existence as

universe

fourfold in its essence, and divided into four planes.
belongs to Matter (Earth), one to Water, one to

and one to
1

Fire,

*

is

One
Air,

but the firmament in which rests the

See Professor Denton's "The Souls of Things."

Every atom and
com-

molecule, every ephemeron, must have its Evestrum, whether the
pounds are regarded as organic or inorganic.
8

8

The Astral Plane.
The sphere of the Universal Mind.

ANTHROPOLOGY

91

The latter is not the firmament
our
visible
but the sphere in which the
stars,
containing
Undines,
Salamanders,
Flagse, &c., live. These
Nymphse,
beings are not dependent on our sphere of existence, but
they have a firmament of their own they have their
Evestrum

is dispersed.

;

own

peculiar conditions, places of dwelling, localities,
As there is in our world water and
stars and planets.

harmonies and contrasts, visible bodies and invisible
essences, likewise these beings are varied in their constitution and have their own peculiarities, for which
fire,

human

But the two
beings have no comprehension.
words intermingle and throw their shadows upon each
other, and this circumstance causes delusive visions,
apparitions, omens, and signs, mixing strangely with the
two impressions coming from the JSvestra prophetica,
and only an intelligence illuminated by wisdom can dis1
tinguish the true from the false.
" The first
thing, however, which we ought to do is,
as Christ says, to seek for the Kingdom of God and His
If we do this we will require no prophecies,
justice.
because all that we need will be given to us" 2 (De
Arie Praesaga).
Thus, the astral life is most active in man when his

The sidereal man is then
awake, and acts through the Evestrum, causing occasionally prophetic dreams, which the person after awakening to physical consciousness will remember, and to
which he may pay attention.
Such dreams may also
be caused by other influences, and be delusive; and
man ought therefore neither to reject nor to accept all
physical body is asleep.

1 The
writings of Paracelsus, such as have been preserved, in regard to
the description of the Astral world, are exceedingly mixed up, and written
in a style which renders their meaning almost incomprehensible.
9 This means that it is not advisable to
try to develop astral sight or
to deal with the inhabitants of the astral plane as long as we have not
the power to rise above that plane. When our true spiritual powers
become active in us, we shall also be able to see all that Is below that
state of existence, and incur no danger from it.

PARACELSUS

92

dreams without discrimination, but always use his reason
"But, on the
to distinguish the true from the false.
whole, there may be more reliance put into dreams than
in the revelations received by the art of Necromancy;
because the latter are usually false and deceptive, and
the Elementals, using the astral bodies of the

although
dead on

such

as

occasions

masks, will

give

correct

answers to questions, and
with oaths, nevertheless no implicit confidence or reliance
can be put into what they may say, because they do not
wish to speak the truth, nor are they able to speak it."
" The
patriarchs, prophets, and saints preferred, thereoften confirm their assertions

fore, visions

Balaam was

and dreams to any other mode of divination.
so well versed in the art of calling forth

prophetic dreams that he could have them whenever he
wanted.
He was therefore falsely accused of being a
for the Scriptures do not use any discriminasorcerer
tion in such matters, but call every one a sorcerer who
has such powers, and uses them to obtain information
without being himself a saint.
God wills that we shall
be like the apostles in purity and simplicity of mind,
and that we shall not speculate in hidden and secret
1
things, such as are called supernatural and which may
be misused for the purpose of injuring one's neighbour in body and soul
The difference between a magus
and a sorcerer is, that the former does not misuse his
If magic (the power of the spiritual will) is misart.
;

"

then sorcery (Philosophia Occulta).
"There are two kinds of dreams natural ones and
such as come from the spirit.
It is unnecessary to say
much about the former, because they are known to all.
used,

it is

They may be caused by joy

or sadness, by impurities of
the blood, by external or internal causes.
gambler

A

Those aw in error who claim that there is
nothing supernatural ; for
although all things exist in Nature, Nature itself is not God. God is not
outside, but above and beyond Nature ; not in regard to locality, but in
regard to His superiority.
1

ANTHROPOLOGY
may dream

93

of cards, a soldier of battles, a drunkard of

wine, a robber of theft. All such dreams are caused by the
lower principles of such persons, which play with their
imagination, heat their blood, and stimulate their phantasy/'
*
But there are supernatural dreams, and they are
the messengers from God, that are sent to us at the

approach of some great danger.

Ananias, Cornelius,

and many others bad similar visions, and such supernatural dreams take place sometimes even among the
present generation; but only the wise pay attention to
Others treat them with contempt, although such
them.

dreams are true, and do not deceive."
"The dream in the Gabal plays with that which is
in man, and that which the dream shows is the shadow
of such wisdom as exists in the man, even if during
he may know nothing about it; for
that God has given us all wisdom and
knowledge, reason, and the power to perceive the past
and the future; but we do not know it, because we
are fooling away our time with outward and perishing
things, and are asleep in regard to that which is real
within ourself
If one appears to have more talent than
another man, it is not because he has been especially
favoured by God, but because he has more than the
other sought of that which God has given to each"
his

waking

we ought

to

state

know

.

(Fragmenta Medico).
" There are some
persons whose nature

is

so spiritual,

and

their souls so exalted, that they can approach the
highest spiritual sphere at a time when their bodies are

Such persons have seen the glory of God, the
happiness of the redeemed, and the torture of the wicked ;
and they did not forget their dreams on awakening, but
remembered what they had seen unto the end of their
asleep.

Such things are possible, and the greatest mysopen to the perception of the spirit ;
and if we earnestly desire such gifts, and pray with an
unrelenting faith to the power of the Supreme, that rests
days.

teries are thus laid

PARACELSUS

94

in ourselves, to grant them to us, we may be enabled to
see the Hysteria Dei, and to understand them as well as

Moses, Jesaiah, and John."
"It sometimes happens that the Evestra of persons who
have died perhaps fifty or a hundred years ago appear to
us in a dream, and if such an Bvestrum comes to us in
our dream and speaks with us, we should pay especial
what it says ; for such a vision is not a hal-

attention to

lucination or delusion, and it is possible that a man is as
much able to use his reason during the sleep of his body

as when the latter is awake, and if in such a case such
an Evestrum appears to him, and he asks questions, he
A great deal could
will then hear that which is true.

be said about such Evestra, bat
more about them." *

it is

not proper to say

Through the Evestra we may obtain a great deal of
knowledge in regard to good or to evil things, if we ask
them to reveal them to us. Many persons have had such
Some people that were sick
prayers granted to them.
have been informed during their sleep what remedies
they should use, and after using such remedies they became cured. And such things have happened not only
to Christians, but also to the heathens, to Jews,

Sara-

Mamelukes, Persians, and Egyptians; to good
and to bad persons ; and I cannot, therefore, believe that
such revelations come directly from the Deity, because,
there being only one God, all those peoples cannot have
cenes,

separate gods

;

but I believe that the universal light of

Nature illuminated such disciples, and as that light has
no organs of speech, it causes Evestra in the astral spheres
of

men
"

during their sleep

When men

"

(De Caduds).

are asleep their bodies are like those of

animals or plants, for animals and plants have also their
elementary and their sidereal bodies; but the divine
spirit can only become active in man.
During sleep the
1
The thoughts of great minds remain for ages like stars on the mental
horizon of the world.

ANTHROPOLOGY

95

sidereal body, by which man is connected with the inner
nature of the Macrocosm, becomes free in its movements,
and it can then rise np to the sphere of his ancestors,

and converse with the stars (thoughts) that is to say,
the processes taking place in the intellectual sphere of
the Macrocosm will throw their reflections into his soul
;

and come to his inner perception.
Dreams, visions, and
omens are gifts given to the sidereal man, and not to the
elementary body."
" The
day of the corpora

is the night for the spiritus.
the bodies cease their labour, the spirits (in man)
When the body of man rests, his
begin their work.
spirit begins to become active ; and when the spirit rests,

When

the body resumes

its

work.

Therefore

is

the waking of

the body the sleep of the spirit, and the spirit's sleep
a waking for the body. They will not sleep or operate to"
gether ; one acts, while the other reposes (Philosoph., v.).
"
But dreams will be pure or impure, wise or foolish,
rational or irrational, according to the position which
man occupies in his relation to the light of Nature.

Prophetic sights are caused by the circumstance that
man has a sidereal body, related to the substance of the

Universal Mind, and the former confabulates with the
whenever the attention of the sidereal body is not,
needed by the requirements o the physical body. That
is to say, all that takes place in the outer world is mirlatter

rored forth in the inner world, and appears as a dream.
The elementary body has no spiritual gifts, but the side-

Whenever the elementary
real body possesses them all.
body is at rest, asleep or unconscious, the sidereal body
is awake and active, because the latter needs neither
but whenever the elementary body is
rest nor sleep
fully awake and active, the activity of the sidereal body
will then be restrained, and its free movements be
;

impeded or prevented,

like

buried alive in a tomb."

those

of

a

man who

is

1

1 "The
spirit educates the body (the internal the
may seduce it to commit sins, for which the body

external man), and
has to suffer; but

PARACELSUS

96
"

the harquality of the dreams will depend on
that exists between the soul and the Astrum

The

mony

To those who are self-conceited and
(Universal Mind).
vain of their imaginary knowledge of exterior things,
having no real wisdom, nothing can be shown to them,
because the perverted action of their own minds opposes
the harmonious action of the Universal Mind and re-

The spheres of their souls become narrow and
contracted, and cannot expand towards the whole.
They
rest self-satisfied, buried in the shadow of their own
pulses

it.

ignorance, and are inaccessible to the light of Nature.
is fully absorbed by the smoke of the

Their attention

candle-wick of their material reason, and they are blind
The activity of the
to the light of the spiritual sun.
Universal Mind can only come to the consciousness of
those whose spheres of

mind are capable

of receiving

Those who make room for such imimpressions.
will
them.
Such impressions are passreceive
pressions
out
of
the
in
and
sphere of the individual mind,
ing
and they cause visions and dreams, having an important
meaning, and whose interpretation is an art that is
its

known
"

to the wise

Thus one

of the

body

;

spirit

"

(Phil. Sagaa).

teach another during the sleep
with each other and teach

may

for spirits deal

each other their

art.

A

foreign spirit cannot enter into
it is bound to
;

a body which does not belong to him
its own body.
Therefore, the body of

from
spirit

own

man must

learn

but his
spirit, and not from a foreign one
must learn from other spirits, for it cannot always

its

have everything out of

;

its

own

self

"

(Philos., v.).

the body can neither instruct nor seduce the spirit. The body eats and
drinks, but the nourishment of the spirit is faith. The body perishes,
the spirit is eternal.
The body is subdued by the spirit, but not the
The body is dark, the spirit light and transparent.
spirit by the body.

The body is subject to disease ; the spirit remains well. Material things
are dark to the body, but the spirit sees through everything.
The body
(mind) speculates ; the flpirit (the will) acts. The body is Mumia, the
The body belongs to death, the spirit to life. The body
spirit is lalsam.
is of the earth ; the spirit from heaven and God"
(Ph& Tract., iv,).

ANTHROPOLOGY

97

DEATH
The word "Death." implies two meanings: I. Cessation of the activity of Life ; 2. Annihilation of Form.
Form is an illusion, and has no existence independent of
Life
of

5

it is

only an expression of

life, and not productive
cease to live, because it never
the death of a form is only the cessation

The form cannot

it.

lived before, and
of the eternal power of life in one form of manifestation

of its activity preceding its manifestation in some other
But Life itself cannot die or be annihilated,
form.
because it is not born of a form. It is an eternal power,

that has always existed and always will exist.
The
annihilation of a particle of life would be a loss to the

Universe that could not be replaced. Life is a function
1
of God, and will always exist as long as God is.
Before we can expect to die, we must first come to
life.
Life cannot cease to be active in a form as long as
it has not become active therein.
There are two kinds
the spiritual and the natural life. If the
of life in man
natural life ceases to be active in a man, the man dies, and
he will then be conscious only of the life of his spirit;
but if that life has not become active in him during
not become so by means of his
can become immortal by dying ;
he must have gained (become conscious of) eternal life
during his terrestrial existence before he can expect to
" What is
retain that life after the death of his body.
his natural

No

death.

death?

life,

it will

mortal

man

It is that which takes the life

away from

us.

It is the separation of the immortal from the mortal part.
It is also that which awakens us and returns to us that

which

it

has taken away

"

(Paramirum, ii.).
an embodiment of certain principles or
If there were, for instance, no heat, nothing
qualities.
If tjiere were no wisdom, no man
could become hot.
"

Each form

is

1

T&e seventh

principle.

PARACELSUS

98

could become wise; if there were no art, there would
If the principles from which men and
be no artists.

animals derive their qualities did not exist, there could
be no men or animals in whom such qualities are made
These principles (forms of will) remain,
manifest.
forms in which they have been manifested
the
although
If a wise man dies, his
for the time being decay.

wisdom

still

continues to be, and
"

may be communicated

to another person
(De Fund. Sap.).
If a mill suddenly comes to a stop, it may be from two
causes; either the miller who manipulated it has gone

away, or there has been something wrong with the
In
works, so that they could not operate any longer.
the same way the death of the body will occur, if for

some reason the body is no longer capable to accomplish
work for the spirit by which it is inhabited, or it
may be that the inhabitant (the soul) for some reason

its

has left the house.

many

The

cases of sudden

latter circumstance accounts for
death "from unknown causes,"

and therefore an apparently dead body should never be
buried before the only certain sign, which shows that it
is no longer inhabitable
namely, putrefaction appears ;

we are not sure that the inhabitant may
be
only
temporarily absent, and find his house destroyed
when he returns.
All forms are subject to annihilation ; they are only
for otherwise

illusions, and as such they will cease to exist when the
cause that produced them ceases to act.
The body of a
a
or
is
as
as
useless
that
an
of
animal
after the
king
sage

A

whose product it was has ceased to act
form can
only maintain its existence as long as the action of life
upon the substance of the form continues. But life is an
life

eternal

and perfect power ;

it can be brought into concannot be united with physical matter. It
can only be attracted to physical matter by the power of
the spirit, and if the spirit ceases to attract it, life will

tact,

but

it

depart from matter, and the form will be dissolved into

ANTHROPOLOGY

99

elements.
Nothing can become united with eternal
and perfect life except that which is eternal and perfect.
That which is good and perfect can continue to live;
that which is evil and imperfect will be transformed.
If
its

all the elements constituting a man were good, if his
whole emotional and intellectual constitution were perIf there is
fect, such a man would be wholly immortal.
nothing good in him, he will have to die and to be wholly
If a part of him is good and another part
transformed.
evil, the good portion will live and the evil one will

"
perish.

Omne lonum

perfectum a Deo; imperfectum a

didblo"

"The divine man does not die; but the animals in
him are subject to dissolution. Man will have to render
account for his acts ; not so the animals.
An animal is
only an animal and not a man ; but the true man is an

image of God. Animal man is that which the animal in
him makes of him, and if a man is not really a man in
"
regard to his wisdom, he is not a man but an animal
(De Fund. Sap.).
"
The spirit of man comes from God, and when the

body dies the spirit returns to God. The astral soul
comes from the astral plane and returns to it. The body
comes from Nature and returns to it. Thus everything
If God is not conreturns to its own prima materia.
scious in us, how can we expect to be conscious in God ?
M
can see by a light which does not shine ?
(De

Who

Morb. Invis.,
"

No man

iv.).

becomes raised in the

flesh of

Adam

and

lower Manas), but in the flesh of Christ (the
Atmor-Buddhi Manas ; therefore that which is not in the
ISve (the

flesh of Christ

cannot be redeemed" (De Fwnd. Sap.,

fragm.).

Everything that exists is a manifestation of life.
Stones and metals have a life as well as plants, animals,
or men ; only the mode of the manifestation differs on
account of the organic structure of the particles of which

PARACELSUS

ioo

A

has the same
fly, for instance,
they are composed.
life as a stone, because there is only One Life, but in a
otherwise than in a stone, and while
fly it manifests itself
the shape of the stone may exist for thousands of years,
the fly lives only a few days.
The elements, which are used by the power of life for
the purpose of manifesting itself, are as indestructible
as life itself, but they continually change their states,

they are continually undergoing transformations, they are
continually calcinated, sublimated, dissolved, decomposed,
distilled, coagulated, and tinctured in the alchemistical
laboratory of Nature.
Each form has a certain period during which it may
exist as a form, and the length of this period is predeter-

mined by the number which is a constituent factor in
the organisation of form, and which springs from life
itself, because life is a conscious power, and does nothing
at random, but everything according to its

law; and
life

own inherent

the form should be prematurely destroyed,
will nevertheless be active in the astral soul of the
if

form, which cannot be destroyed until the time for its
1
natural dissolution has arrived.
The outer form is only
life upon the astral form, and if
broken, the inner form still continues
to exist, and can under certain conditions be brought
again into contact with the remnants of the broken form,

caused by the action of

the exterior form

is

and thereby that form may be revived.
a natural death, such a revival

If a thing dies

impossible ; but if the
death has been premature, such a revival may take place,
if the vital organs of the person or animal have not been
is

2

irrevocably destroyed.
But even in that case there

still exists a
very close
sympathetic relationship between the remnants of the

1

Premature deaths from crime, suicide, and accidents cause their
victims to become earth-bound spirits, until the time of their natural
dissolution arrives.
*

#F.

Hartmann, "Premature Burial," Ijondon,

1896,

ANTHROPOLOGY

101

body and the living astral form, and this relationship
continues to exist until the period of the natural life of
the individual has expired, or until the substances composing his body have been entirely dissolved into their
1
The remnants of such bodies, the corpses of
elements.
persons that have committed suicide or died by the hands
of an executioner, have therefore great occult powers.
2
They do not contain life, but the balsam of life, and it

very fortunate that this fact is not publicly known,
because if evil-disposed persons knew these things and
the use that can be made of the corpses, they might use

is

them

for sorceries

and

others.

evil purposes,

and

inflict

much

8

upon
would burn a tree, and enclose the ashes and
the smoke and the vapour, and all the elements that
made up the tree, into a great bottle, and plant a living
suffering
If we

seed of that tree into the ashes,
same kind of a tree again out of

we might

resurrect the

its ashes,

because there

would be a centre of life, to which all the elements that
were before necessary to form that tree could be again
attracted to form another tree of the same kind, having
all the characteristics of the former ; but if there were
no seed, there would be no tree, because the character of
the tree is neither in the ashes nor in the vapour nor in
the smoke, but in the Mysterium magnum, the eternal
storehouse of life, from which it will be attracted again

by the
1

seed,

and be made to

live in

a new form endowed

Spirit-communications from suicides go to confirm this

fact.

9

The vehicle of life (the astral body).
8 The Eastern esoteric doctrine teaches the same : The astral
form, or
Caballiy of suicides, or of one who died an unnatural premature death,
cannot immediately be dissolved, but will linger and wander in the
earth's atmosphere (Kama-loca) for the period that was allotted to its
body's life by natural law. The astral bodies (spirits, so called) of suicides
are those who appear nine times out of ten in spiritual stances, when they
will assume any celebrated name, or even the appearance of certain wellknown persons, whose images are well impressed in the aura around those
present.
They are the most dangerous of all the Elementaries.

"Key

to Theosophy."

PARACELSUS

102

with greater virtues and powers than the ones

it

pos-

sessed before.

11

All this goes to show not only the indestructibility of
"
The will-spirit of
mind."
matter/' but also that of

a person retains its own qualities after the death of the
person ; but this will-spirit is not the person itself. The
of perperson's personality consists of that combination
sonal qualities which are represented in his form, and if
it on the
physical or on the astral plane, is

that form, be

dissolved, there is then

an end of that personality, and

only the will-spirit remains.

But the divine

man, having attained self-consciousness in

spirit of

God and sub-

stance in the body of Christ, or, to express it in other
words, that part of the Manas which has become illu-

mined by the

Atma-Buddhi, will continue as
and self-luminous entity in the life of

light of the

a self-conscious
1

eternity.

Thus there

something incorruptible and eternal, and
something corruptible and temporal, in man, and he may
use his free will to identify himself either with the one
is

If he identifies himself with Nature, he
have to be transformed by her.
If he identifies
himself with the divine spirit, he will remain that

or the other.
will

which he

is.
"There is no death to be feared except
which results from becoming unconscious of the
presence of God."

that

1

Jacob Boehme says: "Death is a breaking tip of the three kingin man. It is the only means by which the spirit is enabled to

doms

enter into another state

and

to

become manifest

in another form.

When

the spirit dies relatively to its selfhood (personality) and its self-will
becomes broken in death, then out of that death grows another will,
not according to that temporal will, but according to the eternal will "
(Signal, xvi. 51).

V.

PNBUMATOLOGY

THE orthodoxy

of the Middle Ages looked upon angels
and devils and departed human spirits as being personal
invisible entities.
They personified the powers of good
and of evil, and made of them caricatures and monsters
that flitted from place to place, attempting to subjugate

the souls of

men

The governmental

them within

or to bring

their power.

institutions during those times

were

those of oligarchy, and the poor were dependent on the
favours of the rich.
The power of the Church was
supreme, and the dictates of the clergy suffered no disServility and the craving for personal favours
were the order of the day, and this state of mind necessarily influenced and modified the religious conceptions

obedience.

of the people.
The Supreme Spirit of the Universe
became degraded in their eyes to a personal tyrant, into
whose favour they attempted to wheedle themselves by
penitences, supplications, and by means of the intercessions of priests, who were supposed to be his favourites.
Everything that could not be reconciled with existing

prejudices and opinions was attributed to the devil ; and
the horrors of the inquisitions, religious persecutions, and
witch-trials are too well known to require to be recalled
to the memory of the reader.
"

Pneuma"

or " soul,"

an essence or form which

common

means a semi-material

spirit,

neither " material," in the

is

acceptation of this term, nor pure

spirit.

It is

and
or
without
with
be
any intelligence. Usually it
may
means the connecting link between spirit and body ; but
(like everything else in the universe) a form of will,

there are beings

who belong

entirely to the realm of the
*

103

PARACELSUS

104

soul and have
"
material."
It

may

no such bodies as are commonly called

be said that the soul

is

a certain state of

activity of the will, and the same may be said of the
as being
physical body ; for if we look at the universe

a manifestation of will in motion, then
that

we know

of,

all

forms and

we can imagine,
Thus we may look upon

or which

objects
are certain vibrations of will.

physical nature as being constituted of a low order of
vibrations ; upon the soul as a higher octave of the same,
If the physical body
spirit as one higher still.
the lower octave ceases to sound; but the higher

and of
dies,

one continues and will continue to vibrate as long as it
in contact with the highest; but if the spirit has

is

become separated from it, it will sooner or later cease its
Thus if man dies the soul remains, and its
activity.
higher essences go to form the substance of the body of
the paradisaical man, " the man of the new Olymp," and
the lower essences of the soul, from which the spirit hap
departed, dissolve in the astral elements to which they
belong, as the earthly body dissolves in the elements of
the earth.

This dissolution, however, does not take place immediately at the time of the separation of the soul from the

That which constibody, but may require a long time.
tuted the mind of a man will still continue to exist
after the death of the body, although it is not the man
"
If a man has been true during his life, his spirit
will be true after the man's death.
If he has been a

itself.

great astronomer, a magician, or alchemist, his spirit will
still be the same, and we
may learn a great many things

from such spirits they being the substance of the mind
which once constituted the terrestanaTman " (Philos.,
;

Tract

v.).

There are two deaths or two separations the separation _of the spirit
and the
and_soul_ from the body
separation

of the

spiriFjromjfchg astral

soul,

or,

to

PNEUMATOLOGY
express

merely

105

it more correctly, of the spiritual soul from the
intellectual and animal soul.
If a person dies a

from old age), his passions having
life, his selfish will having become
weak and his mind like that of a child, putting its con-

natural death

(i.e.,

died out during his

fidence in his father, his spirit and soul will, at the time

of his death, become free from material bonds and be
attracted to the body of Christ 1

"Such a soul

is

herself the flesh

and blood of Christ, and

her Master.
She does not enter into communication with mortals, because she has no desire for anything
Christ

is

c

'

She does not think or speculate about terrestrial things, or worry herself about her relatives or frienda
She lives in a state of pure feding, bliss, and enjoyment." 2
Such is the fate of those who die a natural death in
God but the conditions of those who die prematurely
earthly.

;

without being regenerated, either by their own hands or
in consequence of some accident, differ greatly ; because,
although their sonls have become forcibly separated from
their bodies, the spirit does not therefore necessarily leave
the soul, but remains with it until another separation
takes place.
They remain in such cases human beings
like any others ; only with this difference, that they do
not possess a physical body, and they remain in such a
state until the time arrives when, according to the law of

Nature and their own predestination (Karma),
sical

death should have taken place.

At

their

phy-

that time the

1
Boehme says : "When the soul has passed through death, it is then
in the essence of God. It remains with the works which it has produced
here, and in this state it will behold the majesty of God and see the angels

face to face.

In the unfathomable world where the soul is, there

is

no end

or object which that son! would have to attain. Where the carrion is,
there will the eagles assemble." (All that the soul desires will come to it.)

Forty Questions,
2

xari. 3.

"

The majority of souls depart from their terrestrial
says :
forms without the body of Christ (divine love), but being connected therewith only by a small thread." Such souls, having but little spirituality,

Boehme

will not exist in such glorious bliss as those whose spirituality has been
unfolded upon the earth and who loved God above all.

PARACELSUS

io6

their higher and lower principles takes
that time they possess their astral bodies.
to
place.
Such bodies are invisible to ns, but they are visible to

separation of

Up

1
them, and have sensation and perceptive faculties, and
they perform in their thoughts that which they have

been in the habit of performing during

life,

and believe

that they are performing it physically. They still remain
in the earth sphere, and Paracelsus calls them Caballi,
Lemure$9 &c. They are still in full possession of their
earthly desires and passions: they attempt to satisfy
them, and are instinctively attracted to persons in whom
they find corresponding desires and passions, and to such
places where they may hope to satisfy them, by entering
into sympathy with such persons (mediums), and they are

therefore often inclined to instigate such mediumistic
persons to the commission of crimes and immoralities;
neither can they avoid doing so, because, by losing their

physical bodies, they have lost the necessary amount of
energy and will-power to exercise self-control and to

employ

their reasoning faculties.

They

often haunt the

2
places where they used to spend their time during life,
thus attempting to find relief from their burning thirst

after the gratification of their desires.
Wherever their
If they have
thoughts attract them, there they will go.

committed some crime, they will be bound by repentance
to that place where it was perpetrated ; if they have a
treasure buried, care for their money will hold them
there; hatred, or desire for revenge, will
1

tie

them

to

an attribute of life. If life resides in the astral body, he
have sensation, and as long as that body is connected
sympathetically with the dead physical body, it may even feel any injury
inflicted upon the latter.
The physical body, if it is inanimate, has no
sensation ; the latter belongs to the inner man.
Wherever the centre of
Sensation

astral

body

consciousness
3

is

will

is

established, there is sensation.

Books might be filled with reliable accounts of obsessions, of haunted
houses, and instances in which such ghosts have been seen are exceedingly
numerous. Some persons, that may not be able to see them, may feel
them instinctively, or even physically, like a cold wind, or like a current
of electricity passing through the body (see " Borderland ").

PNEUMATOLOGY

107

1

passion turns them into vampires, and
connects them with the object of their passion, provided
that there are some elements in these objects which will
attract them ; becanse the astral body of an evil person
cannot influence the mind of a pure person, neither during

their enemies;

life

nor after death, unless they are mutually connected

2
by some similarity in their psychic organisations.
" Under certain
circumstances, such human entities
will become visible or manifest their presence in some

manner.
invisible

They may appear in bodily
and produce sounds and noises

shape, or remain
such as knocks,

laughing, whistling, sneezing, howling, groaning, sighwalking, trampling, throwing stones, and moving
articles of furniture or other objects, and all this may

ing,

be done by them for the purpose of calling the attention
of the living, so that they will obtain an opportunity to
enter into communication with them." 8
But not all the appearances of supermundane or submundane visitors are caused by the apparitions of the
ghosts or astral bodies of suicides or victims of accidents,
nor by the astral corpses and the Evestra of the dead ;

but there are other invisible entities sometimes haunting
i Chinamen and Hindus have been known to kill themselves for the
purpose of revenge, so that their souk may cling to their enemies and
trouble their minds or drive them to suicide. It is also well proven that wan
are often followed by numerous suicides occurring in the victorious army.
3 Such a case of
vampirism is personally known to me.
young man
killed himself on account of his passion for a married lady. The latter
loved him, but did not encourage his advances on account of her matrimonial obligations. After his death his astral form became attracted to
her, and as she was of a mediumistic temperament, he found the necessary

A

conditions to become partly materialised and trouble her every night. It
required a long-continued effort until she finally became rid of the InIf our practitioners of medicine were better acquainted with
cubus.
9'
occult laws, many "mysterious cases that come under their observation

might become clear to them, and they would obtain a deeper insight into
some causes of mania, hysteria, hallucination, &c.
8
Fragment, "De Animabus Mortuorum." A great part of this fragment has been lost. All such spirits are the products of imagination and
If a person has an evil imagination he creates a corresponding
will.
form in his mind, and if he infuses that form with hia will he has then
created a " spirit,' which will attract similar influences.
1

PARACELSUS

io8

the houses of mortals, and becoming occasionally visible
and tangible to the physical senses, if the conditions
necessary for such a purpose exist.
" One of these classes is made

up of beings called
These ghost-like beings are 'nocturnal

1

phantasmata.'

spirits/ having- reasoSSag, capacities" similar to Jbhpse of
r

They seek to attach themselves to men, especially
to such as have very little- powejLj>JL j
man.

"over

many

whom -they

There are a great
can, gain power.
kinds of such spirits, goc>3 as well as evil ones,

and they love

to

parable to dogs,

be near man.

who

In

they are com-

this

are also fond of the

company

of

But man can profit nothing from their company.
They are empty shadows (shells), and are only an encumbrance to him.
They are afraid of red corals, as dogs
"*
are afraid of a whip ; but the brown corals attract them
men.

(Herbarius Theophrasti : De Corallis).
" Some
people believe that such spirits can be driven
with
holy water and by the burning of incense ;
away

but a genuine holy water cannot be had so long as no
man is found who is holy enough to be able to invest
water with an occult holy power, and the odour of incense may sooner attract evil spirits than drive them

away; because

evil

spirits are attracted

are attractive to the senses, and if

by things that

we wish

to drive

them

would be more reasonable to employ disagreeable
odours for such a purpose.
The true and effective power

away

it

against

all

evil spirits is

the spiritual

will.

If

we

love

1

Paracelsus recommends the wearing of red corals as a remedy against
They are said to be ruled by the influence of the sun, while
those of brown colour are under the influence of the moon. The red ones

melancholy.

are disagreeable not only to Phantasmata, but also to Monsters, Incubi,
Snccubi, and other evil spirits ; but the brown, corals are agreeable to and
attract them. I know of some cases of melancholy, depression of mind,
hypochondria, &c., that have been successfully treated by the wearing of
red corals, while other articles employed for the same purpose had no
effect, and the cure could therefore not be attributed merely to the belief
of the patient
The ignorant will find it easier to ridicule such things
than to explain them.

PNEUMA TOLOGY
the source of
desire,

all

we may be

good with

all

sure never to

log

our heart, mind, and
into the power of

fall

the sprinkling of water,
evil; but priestly ceremonies
the burning of incense, and the singing of incantations
are the inventions of clerical vanity, and they therefore
take their origin from the source of all evil. Ceremonies

have been instituted originally to give an external form
an internal act; but where the internal power to
perform such acts does not exist, a ceremony will be of
no avail except to attract such spirits as may love to
mock at our foolishness " (PMosophia Occuito).
Another class consists of the Incubi and Succubi, of
which rabbinical traditions speak in an allegorical manner
as having been created by the spilling of the seed of
Adam (the animal man) while engaged with Lilith, his
first wife (meaning a morbid imagination).
Paracelsus

to

"De

Origine Morborum Invisibilium/'
Imagination is the cause of Incubi and Succubi and fluidic Larvae.
The Incubi are male and the

says in his book,
"
:

lib. iii

l

Succubi female beings. They are the outgrowths of an
intense and lewd imagination of men or women, and after
they take form they are carried away. They are formed of
the sperma found in the imagination of those who commit
the unnatural sin of Onan in thought and desire. Coming
as it does from the "imagination alone, it is no true
Only a
sperma, but only a corrupted salt (essence).
seed that enters the organs which Nature provided for
2
If seed is not
development can grow into a body.

its

The word "imagination " ought not
means the power of the mind to form
fluences which are actually present.
1

it

to be mistaken for
into

a

empty fancy

;

substantial image the in-

2

It is here not the question of merely visible and tangible things, but
of the products of the mind, which are also substantial, and which may
become visible and tangible under certain conditions.

" The

invisible body as well as the terrestrial body act each in its own
That which the visible body performs is done with its hands ; the
inner man works by means of his imagination and will The works of

way.

the former appear to us real
,

iii.)."

;

those of the latter like shadows

"

(Mori,

PARACELSUS

no

If sperma does
planted into the proper soil it will rot.
not come into the proper matrix it will not produce anyTherefore the Incubi
thing good, but something useless.
and Succubi grown out of corrupted seed, without the

natural order of things, are evil and useless ; and Thomas
of Aquinas has made an error by mistaking such a use-

thing for a complete one."
This sperma, coming from the imagination, is born
This means a kind of love in which
in Amor Hereos.
a man may imagine a woman, or a woman a man, to
perform the connubial act with the image created in the
less

"

sphere of the mind.

From

this act results the expulsion

of an ethereal fluid, impotent to generate a child, but
Such an
capable of bringing Larvae into existence.

imagination is the mother of a luxurious unchastity,
which, if continued, renders man impotent and woman
sterile, because much of the true creative and forma-

power is lost by the frequent exercise of such
This is frequently the cause
a morbid imagination.
of moles, abortions, miscarriages, and malformations.
Such corrupted sperma may be taken away by spirits

tive

that wander about at night, and
place where they may hatch it
that will perform an ' act with

who

out.

'

it,

as

will carry it to

There are

may

also

a

spirits

be done

witches, and, in consequence of that act, many curious
monsters of horrible shapes come into existence" (De
Oriff. Mori. Invis.).
"
If such monsters are born from a powerful, conscious
imagination, consciousness will also be created in them.
The spirits ofjiight can use all that is born from such
sperma according to their pleasure, but they can use

by

nothing of a human character or possessing true spirit."
"Amor hereos is a state of the invisible body, and is
caused by an overheated imagination, stimulated to such

an extent

as to eject sperma, out of which Incnbi

Succubi grow.

and

In ordinary polMionibus nocturnalis, the
loses
sperma without any effort of the imagination^
body

PNEUMATOLOGY
and the

spirits of night

in

can therefore not use

it

for their

purposes."

"If women have passed beyond the age of fertility
and are unchaste and of a vivid imagination, they often
such things into existence. If persons of either
sex have lewd desires and an active imagination, or if
call

they are passionately in love with another person of the
opposite sex, and unable to obtain the object of their
desire and fancy, then an Incubus or Succubus may take
the place of the absent object, and in this way sorcerers
l
" To
Succubi, and witches Incubi, into existence."
such
it
is
unfortunate
occurrences,
prevent
necessary
call

to be chaste, honest,

and whoever

is

and pure, in thought and desire,
unable to remain so should not remain

2

a great power, and

if the world
can
be
strange things
produced by the power
of the imagination, the public authorities would cause all

single.

Imagination

is

knew what

idle persons to go to
some useful manner,

who

work and to employ
and they would take

are unable to control their

own

their time in

care of those

imagination, in order

that such evil results should be avoided

"

(Morb. Invis,

iv.).

Mediaeval occulb literature and that of Modern Spiritualism contain
of Incubi and Succubi, some having appeared visibly and
tangibly ; others, though unseen, were touched and felt. Such cases are
at the present da3 much more numerous than is commonly believed, but
"
"
they can only materialise if the necessary conditions are given. They
are therefore only felt during a state of sickness, and after the recovery of
the patient they disappear, because they cannot draw the elements necessary for materialisation out of a healthy constitution. Such Incubi and
Succubi are the products of a physically and morally diseased state. The
morbid imagination creates an image, the will of the person objectifies it,
and the nerve aura can render it substantial to sight and touch. Moreover, having once been created, they attract to themselves corresponding
influences from the astral soul of the world.
" flesh" cannot be
2 Animal instincts cannot be
suppressed, and the
"
mortified," except by awakening a higher psychical activity in the place
of the lower ones, or by an exaltation of the spiritual nature over the
Abstinence in acts is useless for spiritual
animal principle in man.
development, unless it is followed by abstinence in thought Enforced
celibacy does not make a priest ; a true priest is a saint, and saints are
have outgrown their carnal desires,
persons who
1

many examples

PARACELSUS

H2
"

'

Dragon is an invisible being, which
and appear in a human form and
visible
become
may
This is accomplished by means
cohabit with witches.

The

so-called

'

of the sperma which is lost

by masturbators, fornicators,

prostitutes in acte mn&reo? and which such spirits
use as a corpus to obtain for themselves a human form,

and

human form is typified in the
such spirits use the sperma of a certain
person, it is as if one man puts on the coat of another
man; and then they have the form of that person
2
and resemble him in all Ms parts and details" (De
because the whole of the
sperma, and

if

Fertilitate, Tract, ii.).

" Another such hideous monster is the
Basttisc, created
by Sodomy, and also the Aspis and Leo. There are
innumerable bastard forms, half man, half spiders or
toads, &c., inhabiting the astral plane,

belonging to the
is
to
have
his
head
which
crushed
by the heel
serpent
38
of Christ"
(Fragm.).
"
If such forms are sufficiently dense to become visible,
they appear like a coloured shadow or mist, or black
'

They have no life of their own, but they
from the person who called them into existence, just as a shadow is cast by a body; and where
there is no body, there can be no shadow.
They are
shadows.

borrow

it

often generated by idiots, immoral, depraved, or diseased
who lead irregular and solitary lives, and who are

persons,

addicted to bad habits.

The coherence

of the particles

composing the bodies of such beings is not very strong,
and they are afraid of draughts of air, light, fire, sticks,
and weapons. They are a sort of airy appendix to the
" created
1 This is the kind of "
spirit
by the followers of P. B. Randolph,
"
according to the instructions given in his book called Enlis."
8
They cannot, however, become visible, unless they can draw some of
the astral essence from the person or persons in whose presence they desire
to appear ; in other words, persons must be mediuxnistic to produce such
manifestations of form.
"
3 John Scheffler
If you could see the horrible monsters by
says :

which you are surrounded you would be sick from disgust."

PNEVMATOLOGY
body of their

creator,

and there

is

113

sometimes such an

intimate connection between them and the body of their
progenitors, that if an injury is inflicted upon the former,
it will be transmitted to the latter.
They are parasites

drawing
attracted,

vitality out of the persons to

and they exhaust

whom

they are

their vitality very soon, if

such persons are not very strong." *
" Some such
beings influence men according to their
watch
them, increase and deepen their
qualities; they
fanlts,

them to
and gradually absorb

find excuses for their mistakes, cause

wish for the success of

evil actions,

their vitality.
They fortify
in the operations of sorcery

and support the imagination

they sometimes utter false
If a man
prophecies and give out misleading oracles.
has a strong and evil imagination, and wishes to injure
another, such beings are always ready to lend a helping
hand for the accomplishment of his purpose." Such
;

beings render their victims insane,

weak

if

the latter are too

"A

healthy and pure
person cannot become obsessed by them, because such
Larvae can only act upon men if they make room for
them in their minds.
healthy mind is a castle that
cannot be invaded without the will of its master; but
if lusts are allowed to enter, they excite the passions
to

resist

their influence.

A

of

men and women,

they create cravings in them, they
act injuriously upon the
animal
the
intellect and suffocate
brain; they sharpen
the moral sense.
Evil spirits obsess only those human
beings in whom the animal nature is preponderating.
Minds that are illumined by the spirit of trnth cannot

produce bad thoughts which

Paracelsus gives here a very good description of some of the modern
The " airy appendix " (astral form) usually cornea
spirit-materialisation.
out of the left side of the medium, in the region of the spleen. Mediums
1

need not necessarily be depraved persons, but

there* must

be some fault in

their organisation, else the combination of their principles would be too
strong to part with some of their astral substance. Materialising mediums
may be very good people, but solitary lives and vicious habits lead to the

development of such medramship, which proves to be very injurious in
the end.

U

PARACELSUS

114

be possessed; only those who are habitually guided by
their own lower impulses will become subjected to their
Exorcisms and ceremonies are useless in
influence.
l
such cases.
Praying and abstinence from all thoughts
that stimulate the imagination or excite the brain are
"
"
The cure
the only true remedies (De Ente Spiritualty.
is a purely psychical and moral act.
The
obsessed person should use true prayer and abstinence,
and after that a strong-willed person should will such

of obsession

spirits to depart

"

(Philosophic*, Ocvulta)?

The reason why we cannot see such

astral

entities

We

cannot
because they are transparent as air.
see the air unless we produce a smoke in it, and even
in that case we do not see the air itself, but the smoke
is

that is carried by the

when

it

air.

moves, and we may

But we can

feel

the air

also occasionally feel the

presence of such entities, if they are dense enough to
be felt.
Moreover, the purpose of our senses is to
the
objects that exist on the plane for which
perceive
senses are adapted, and therefore the physical
senses exist for the purpose of seeing physical things,
and the senses of the inner man are made to see the

those

When the outer senses are inthings of the soul.
active, the inner senses awaken to life, and we may see
the objects on the astral plane as we see things in a
There are also some poisons by which the
organic activity of the body can be suppressed for a

dream.

1

By "praying" is meant the exercise of the spiritual wilL
"Oh, you stupid and foolish priest, who know absolutely nothing ; be*
cause you imagine to be able to drive away evil spirits with sweet-smelling incense, such as is enjoyed by good and evil spirits alike. If instead
of your incense you were to take asafcetida, then might you succeed in
"
driving away the evil spirits and the good ones besides
(Phttos. OccuUa).
2 It often

happens that bodily diseases are the cause of morbid desires.
the skin (pruritus vagmra or scroti) causes erotic desires ; a
displacement of the womb, an erosion, ulcer, or inflammation of the os
uteri, cause mental depression and hysteria ; piles cause melancholy, &o.,
&c. ; but all such causes are, in their turn, the effects of previous causes
having a psychical origin, and they establish the conditions by which*
elementary influences act,

A disease of

PNEUMATOLOGY

115

and the consciousness of the inner man be rendered
active, and which will therefore enable us to see
the things on the astral plane.
But such poisons are
destructive of reason and very injurious to the health.
In fevers, deliriums, &c., such things may also be seen.
Some of them are the creations of the mind of the
patient; others may have been created by the morbid

time,

more

1
imagination of another person, as described above.
But if such entities are invisible under normal conditions to a human being, they will be well enough

human Elementary consciously existing
on their plane, and, what is still more, depraved human

perceived by a
characters

after

death take themselves the

forms

of

and monsters, whom they were brought to
resemble by their own evil thoughts.
Form is nothing
but an appearance representing a character, and the
animals

If the character of a person
character shapes the form.
it
will
cause
the astral form to assume
thoroughly evil,

is

a hideous form.

Therefore the souls of the depraved

appear in animal shapes.

Pure

spirit

sunshine.
of
1

matter

to

no form:

has

But

8

as the

it

is

formless,

sunshine causes

grow into

plants,

soul

-

like

the

the elements
substances

are

Experiments that have been made in London, with the inhalation

of

various ethers, chloroform, nitrous oxide gas, and hydrocarbonates, have
had the effect of producing such "hallucinations." Before these gases

were known, fumigations

of poisonous substances

were used for such

The

receipts for the materials used for such fumigations were
kept very secret, on account of the abuse that might have been made
of such, a knowledge, and in consequence of which a person may be

purposes.

even made insane.

One

of the

most

effective fumigations for the purpose
made of the

of causing apparitions were, according to Eckartshausen,

following substances : Hemlock, Henbane, Saffron, Aloe, Opium, Mandrake, Solanum, Poppy-seed, Asafcetida, and Parsley. The fumigations
to drive away evil spirits were made of Sulphur, Asafcetida, Castoreum,
and more especially of Hypericuzn and Vinegar. Carbolic Acid was not

known

at that time.
2 This is confirmed

by Swedenborg in his description

of " Hell,"

and

by Jacob Boehme. The animal soul of the departed takes the
form and shape of that animal whose character predominated in his
also

constitution r

PARACELSUS

ii6

formed into beings having shapes, through the action
There are good spirits and
of the spiritual rays.
There
of
evil;
spirits and angels.
planetary
spirits
are the spirits of the four elements, and there are
different kinds. 1

many

thousand
"

Bach

spirit

child receives at the time of its birth a familiar

or genius,

and such

spirits

sometimes instruct

their pupils even while the latter are in their earliest
.
They often teach them to do very extraordinary
youth.

an incalculable number of such genii
we may learn through them all
and
in tie universe,
of
in consequence of their conthe
Chaos
the mysteries
Such familiar
nection with the Mysteriwm, magnwrn,.
things.

There

is

spirits are called Flagce."

2

"

There are several kinds of Flag, and there are two
ways by which we may obtain knowledge through them.
One way is by their becoming visible and able to talk
1
There is a never-ending chain of births and transformations taking
place in the world of causes (spirits)^ as in the world of effects (forms).
The lives of some such entities extend over enormous periods of time;
others have only a short individual existence. According to the Brah-

main

xninical teachings there are seven

having innumerable subdivisions

:

I.

classes of spirits,

Arupa Devas

some of them

(formless spirits),

planetary spirits the intelligent sixth principle of the planet whose
2. R-upa Devas (having forms).
High planetary
product they are.
Dhyan-Chohans. 3. Pisacbas and Mohinis male and female
spirits.
Elementaries consisting of the astral forms of the dead, that may be
obsessed by Elementals, and cause Incubi and Sucoubi. 4. Mara rupas :
forms of desire or passion. Souls doomed to destruction. 5. Asuras:
Elementals (Gnomes, Sylphs, Undines, Salamanders, &c.).
They will
develop into human beings in the next Manvantara (cycle of evolution).
6. Beasts. Elementals having animal forms, monstrosities. 7. Rakshasas
or demons. Souls of sorcerers and of men with great intelligence, but
with evil tendencies. Criminals for the advancement of science, dogmatists, sophists, vivisectioniata, &<x, furnish material for the developof such " devils."
The Asuras are often called Devas, and are

ment

worshipped in many places of India. They are the guardian spirits of
certain places, gardens, houses, &c., and have temples of their own.
There are many thousand varieties. (See " Isis Unveiled/')
*
They are evidently a different class of "familiar spirits" than the
"invisible guides" mentioned above.

The

spirit

which each child re-

ceives at its birth, and who attends to the person during his terrestrial
life, is his own spiritual self, the "Karana sharira,"

PNEUMATOLOGY

117

with us; the other way is by their exercising an inupon our intuition. The art of Nectromancyi enables man to perceive interior things, and

visible influence

there is no mystery concerning any human being that
may not be found out by that art, and the Flagas can
be made to reveal it either by persuasion or by the

strength of one's will, for the Flagas obey the will of man
for the same reason that a soldier obeys the will of the
commander, or an inferior obeys that of his superior,

although the latter

may be physically stronger than the
Flagae can be made to appear visibly in a
mirror of Beryl, in a piece of coal or a crystal, &c. ; and
The

former.

not only the Flagss themselves, but the persons to whom
they belong, may be seen, and all their secrets be known.
And if it is not practicable to cause them to become
visible,

such secrets can be found out by a communica-

tion of thought, or by signs, allegorical visions, &c.
By
the assistance of these Flagas hidden treasures may be

found and closed letters be read, and everything secret
be seen, no matter how much it is hidden from outward
sight, for the opening of the interior sight removes the
veil of matter.
Things that have been buried will thus
be found, stolen goods recovered, &c. 2 The Flagae reveal
their secrets to us in our dreams, the good as well as
the evil
He who obtains knowledge from the spirit
obtains it from his father; he who knows the Blementals knows himself ; he who understands the nature
of the elements understands how the .Microcosm is con-

The Flagse are the spirits that instructed
mankind in arts and sciences in ancient times, and
without them there would be no science or philosophy in

structed.

the world."
1

8

Nectromancy is not to be confounded with Necromancy.
The Count Saint Germain could read sealed letters, and the same was
repeatedly done by H. P. Blavatsky in the presence of the author.
* The whole of the universe is an
expression of consciousness, and there
are, therefore, innumerable states of conscious and intelligent will in the
world ; some in visible and others in invisible form ; some shapeless, like
3

PARACELSUS

n8
"In

the practice of divination by sortilegium, &c., the
Such arts are neither from God
Plagse guide the hand.
The
nor from the devil, but they are from the Flagee.

ceremonies that are customarily used on such occasions
are mere superstition, and have been invented to give to

Those who do pracsuch occasions an air of solemnity.
themselves ignorant of the laws
that control it, and they perhaps attribute the results
tise that art are often

obtained to the ceremonies, and mistake tomfooleries for
the essential thing." 1
In regard to the reliance to be put on the revela"

Evil spirits
tions of invisible beings, Paracelsus says :
love to lead men into error, and therefore their prophecies

are

usually unreliable

and

their

predictions

God made spirits mute, so that
based upon trickery.
not
tell
they may
everything so plainly to man that

man

does not need to use his reason to avoid making
The spirits should not instruct man; but

mistakes.

they do not always obey that command.
are often silent

Therefore they

when

their speech is mostly needed, and
speak false when it is of the utmost

they frequently
This is the cause that
importance to know the truth."
so many things that have been told by spirits have been
proved lies and illusions, and some spirits lie a great deal

more than

others.

But

it

may happen

that perhaps ont

of a dozen predictions made by such spirits one accidentally comes out true, and ignorant people will in such
cases pay no attention to the fact that the other eleven
predictions were false, but they will be ready to believe
currents of air

;

others undefined, like mists or olonds

;

others solid, as

some impermanent ; others permanent, like the stars.
1 The rationale on which
divination, geoxnancy, the practice of the
divining-rod, &c., is based, is that by means of such practices a knowledge
rocks

;

in regard to certain things, such as already exists in the spirit of man,
to the understanding of the intellect of his own personality.

may come

The inner man cannot, under all circumstances, communicate his knowledge to the external man, because the consciousness of the two is not
identical ; but the spirit may influence the nerve aura of the person and
control the muscles of his body,

and thus guide

his hands.

PNEUMATOLOGY

119

Such spirits often
everything that such spirits say.
teach those persons who deal with them to perform certain ceremonies, to speak certain words and names in
which there is no meaning, and they do all such things

own amusement, and to have some sport at the
expense of credulous persona
They are seldom what
they pretend to be ; they accept names, and one will use
the name of another, or they will assume the mask and the
ways of acting of another. If a person has such a spirit,
belonging to a better class, he may make a good fortuneteller ; but one who has a lying spirit will hear nothing
but lies ; and, on the whole, all these spirits surpass each
other in deception and lies" (Philosophic Sagax). 1
" Man is an instrument
through which all the three
the spiritual, the astral, and the elementary
worlds
In him are beings from all these
world
are acting.
reasonable
and
worlds,
unreasonable, intelligent and uninA
creatures.
telligent
person without any self-knowledge
for their

^^

and self-control is made to act according to the will of these
creatures; but the true philosopher acts according to the
If the masters
Supreme, the Creator, in him.

will of the

whom man

obeys are

foolish, their servants will also act

It is true that every one thinks that he is the
master, and that he does what he pleases ; but he does
not see the fool within him, who is his master, and by

foolishly.

~
he becomes a fool himself" (J)e Meteoris").
There is another class of spirits, the Sagan& or Elemental Spirits of Nature. Paracelsus says about their
one that comes
bodies " There are two kinds of flesh
from Adam and another that does not come from Adam.
The former is gross material, visible and tangible for us
the other one is not tangible and not made from earth.
If a man who is a descendant from Adam wants to pass

whom

:

;

1

Those who have some experience in modern spiritualism will recognise the truth of this description.
Spiritualists should not act upon
the advices of spirits, if such advices are against their own reason, and
scientists should not rely on the opinions of others, if such opinions are
against

common

sense.

PARACELSUS

120

through a wall, he will have first to make a hole through
it ; but a being who is not descended from Adam needs
no hole or door, but may pass through matter that appears solid to us, without causing any damage to it.
The beings not descended from Adam, as well as those
descended from him, are organised and have substantial bodies ; but there is as much difference between

composing their bodies as there is beYet the Elementals are
tween Matter and Spirit.
not spirits, because they have flesh, blood, and bones;
they live and propagate offspring they eat and talk, act
and sleep, &c., and consequently they cannot be properly
the substance

;

"

called

spirits."

between men and

They are beings occupying a place
spirits,

resembling

men and women

in

their organisation and form, and resembling spirits in
the rapidity of their locomotion.
They are intermediary
beings, formed out of two parts joined into
one just as two colours mixed -together will appear as
one colour, resembling neither one nor the other of the
two original ones.
The Elementals have no higher prinare
not immortal, and when they
therefore
ciples
they
die they perish like animals.
Neither water nor fire
can injure them, and they cannot be locked up in our

compound
;

;

material prisons.
They are, however, subject to diseases.
Their costumes, actions, forms, ways of speaking, &a, are
not very unlike those of human beings ; but^there are a
great many varieties.
They have only animal intel"
lects, and are incapable of spiritual development
(Lib.
PMlos.,

ii.).

"

These spirits of Nature are not animals ; they have
a reason and language like man ; they have minds, but
no spiritual soul. This may appear strange and incredible
but the possibilities of nature are not limited
by man's knowledge of them, and the wisdom of God is
unfathomable.
They have children, and these children
;

are like themselves.

God, and they

may be

Man

is

made after the image of
made after the image

said to be

JPNEUMATOLOGY
of

man

man is not God, and the elemental spirits
human beings, although they somewhat

but

;

121

of Nature are not

resemble man.

They are

liable to sickness,

and they

Tbeir habits resemble those of

like animals.

men

;

die

they

work and sleep; they eat and drink and make their
clothing; and as man is nearest to God, so are they
" l
nearest to man
(Lib. Phifas., i.).
"
They live in the four elements : the Nymphse in the
element of water, the Sylphs in that of the air, the
Pigmies in the earth, and the Salamanders in the fire.
They are also called Undinse, Sylvestres, Gnomi, Vulcani,
Each species moves only in the element to which it
&o.
belongs, and neither of them can go out of its appropriate
element, which is to them as the air is to us, or the
water to fishes ; and none of them can live in the element
To each elemental being the
belonging to another class.
element in which it lives is transparent, invisible, and
respirable, as the atmosphere is to ourselves."
"The four classes of Nature-spirits do not mix with

each other

;

the

Gnomes have no

intercourse with the

Undines or Salamanders, nor the Sylvestres with

As

a

either

the water, it being its
in
so
each
lives
its own element.
For
element,
being
the
man
and
element
wherein
is
breathes
lives
instance,
of these.

fish

lives

in

the air ; but to the Undines the water
to us, and if

they

may

is

what the

air is

we

are surprised that they are in the water,
also be surprised because we are in the air.

Thus the element of the Gnomes is the earth, and they
pass through rocks and walls and stones like a thought ;
for such things are to them no greater obstacles than the
In the same sense the fire is the air wherein
air is to us.
but the Sylvestres are the nearest
;
related to us, for they live in the air like ourselves;

the Salamanders live

1 Man in his
aspect as a terrestrial being, and if we leave the divine
principle out of our consideration, is himself an elemental spirit of Nature,
composed of all the four elements ; but as he lives and breathes in the air,

he

may be

called

an elemental

of the air

walking upon the earth.

PARACELSUS

122

they would be drowned
they would

if

they were under water, and
and be burned in the

suffocate in the earth

if
fire; for each being belongs to its own Chaos and dies
transported into another. If that Chaos is gross, the
beings living in it are subtle ; and if the Chaos is subtle,

Therefore we have gross bodies,
the beings are gross.
so that we can pass through the air without being blown
down, and the Gnomes have subtle forms, so as to be able

Men

to pass through the rocks.

authorities; bees

and ants

have their leaders aoad

their queens; geese

and other

animals have their leaders ; and so also have the spirits
The animals receive
of Nature their kings and queens.
their clothing from Nature; but the spirits of Nature
The omnipotence of God is not
prepare it themselves.

limited to His taking care only of man, but is abundantly able to take care also of the spirits of Nature,

and

of

They

other things of which

many

each element

is

men know

nothing.

and the sky the same as we, because

see the sun

transparent to those

who

live therein.

Thus the sun shines through the rocks for the Gnomes,
and the water does not hinder the Undines to see the sun
and the stars they have their summers and winters, and
their earth bears them fruits for each being lives on
;

'

'

;

that element whereof it has

"As

far

"

grown

(Lib. Philos.,

ii.).

personalities of the Elementals are
be said that those belonging to the

as the

concerned, it may
element of water resemble

human beings of either sex ;
those of the air are greater and stronger; the Salamanders are long, lean, and dry ; the Pigmies are of the
length of about two spans, but they can extend or elonThe
gate their forms until they appear like giants.
Elementals of air and water, the Sylphs and Nymphs,
are kindly disposed towards man ; the Salamanders cannot associate with him on account of the fiery nature

and the Pigmies are
The Pigmies are buildand strange-looking edifices of some

of the element wherein they live,
usually of a malicious nature.

ing houses, vaults,

PNEUMATOLOGY
certain semi-material substances

123

unknown

to us.

They

have some kind of alabaster, marble, cement, &c. ; bnt
these substances are as different from ours as the web
of a spider is different from our linen.
Nymphs have
their residences and palaces in the element of water;
On
Sylphs and Salamanders have no fixed dwellings.
the whole, the Elementals have an aversion against selfconceited and opinionated persons, such as dogmatists,
inquisitive sceptics, drunkards, and gluttons, and against
vulgar and quarrelsome people of all kinds ; but they love
natural men, who are simple-minded and child-like, innocent and sincere, and the less there is vanity and hypocrisy in a man, the easier will it be for him to approach
them ; but otherwise they are as shy as wild animals." 1
" Man lives in the exterior
elements, and the Ele2
mentals live in the interior elements.
They have dwell-

and clothing, manners and customs, languages
and governments, of their own, in the same sense as
the bees have their queens and herds of animals their
ings

They are sometimes seen in various shapes.
Salamanders have been seen in the shapes of fiery balls,

leader.

or tongues of fire running over the fields or appearing
in houses.
Nymphs have been known to adopt the
human shape, clothing, and manner, and to enter into

a union with man.

There are certain

numbers of Elementals

localities

and

where

has
has been admitted into their communities and lived with them for a while, and that they
*
have become visible and tangible to him."
large

occurred that a

live together,

it

man

"
"
nothing very strange in the belief that such spirits exist,
in
is
invisible
mind
the
best
of
an
that
ourselves
only keep
part
spirit of unknown dimensions, occupying and overshadowing a limited
form.
material
8 The " soul " of the elements
; i.e., their ethereal aspects.
8 It is not credible that a
person has entered with his physical body
into the Venus mountain or TJntersberg, or any other such renowned
Neither have the witches
places of which popular tradition speaks.
and sorcerers of the Middle Ages been at the witch-sabbath in their
physical bodies, and it seems equally improbable that a person should
1

if

There

we

is

PARACELSUS

124

"

The angels

man

are invisible to us

;

but nevertheless an

to our spiritual sight, and likewise
invisible to the spirits of nature, and what the

may appear

angel

is

Undines know of us is to them merely what fairy tales
are to us.
The Undines appear to man, but not man
to them.
Man is gross in the body and subtle in the
Chaos ; therefore they may enter his Chaos (the physical
plane), and appear to him and remain with him, marry
Thus an Undine may
and have children with him.
a
with
house
man
and
him, and her children
keep
marry
will be human beings and not Undines, because they
receive a human soul from the man and, moreover, the
Undine herself thereby receives the germ o immortality.
Man is bound to God by means of his spiritual soul,
and if an Undine becomes united to man, she will
As an Undine without
thereby become bound to God.
her union with man. dies like an animal, likewise man
is like an animal if he severs his union with God."
"
Therefore the Nymphs are anxious to become united
with man; they seek to become immortal through him.
They have a mind and intellect like man, but not the
immortal soul, such as we have obtained through the
;

death of Christ.

and

fire

But the

seldom marry a

spirits

human

of the earth, the

air,

being.
They may,
and enter his service.

however, become attached to him
must not be supposed that they are airy nothings

It

or merely ghosts or appearances ; they are of flesh and
blood, only subtler than man (i.e., of the substance of

mind)/'
"

may

The Nymphs sometimes come out

of the water and
be seen sitting on the shore near their dwelling,

ever have entered physically the abodes of disembodied adepts. But the
a man is not the man ; it is only his external shadow,
and wherever man's consciousness is, there will he be present himself.
But while he is there, he does not miss his exterior body, of which he has
no more use than of a part of his clothing purposely laid away, and on
physical body of

reawakening to physical consciousness he
been to such a place in his physical form.

may

well believe that he hod

PNEUMATOLOGY
and they as well

man
and
are

as the

Gnomes have

125

a language like

bat the

spirits of the woods are more rough
speak nothing, although they are able to speak and
clever.
The Nymphs appear in human form and
;

clothing; but the spirits of fire are of a fiery shape.
are usually not to be found in the company of
men ; but they come to cohabit with old women, such

They
as

are

and they are sometimes obsessed by
any man has a Nymph for a wife, let

witches,

the deviL

him take

If

care not to offend her while she

is

near the

water, as in such a case she might return to her own
element ; 1 and if any one has a Gnome for a servant,
let

him be

faithful to him, for each has to be dutiful

to the other; if you do your duty to him, he will do
his duty to you.
All this is in the divine order of

things and will become manifest in due time; so that
we will then be able to see that which seems now almost
incredible

"
(Lib. Philos.,

ii.).

In the legends of the saints the Elemental spirits of
Nature are often alluded to as "devils," a name which
they do not deserve, because there are good as well
as bad Elementals; but, although some may be very
they have not developed any love for absolute
because they have only mortal sonls, but no

selfish,

evil,

spiritual essence to make them immortal.
Besides the astral spirits in man and the

Elemental

of Nature, there are many other spirits born
within the soul (the will and imagination of Nature) ;
and as the mind of man may create monsters, and man
spirits

paint their images on canvas, or sculpture them in
stone or wood, so the universal power of Nature's mind
creates monsters in the astral light, and they will

throw their shadows forth in the physical world of
appearances, by becoming objective in corporeal bodies
1
"If any one marries a water-nymph, and she deserts him, he ought
not to take another wife, for the marriage has not been dissolved. If he
"
marries another woman he will shortly die (De Nyvnph.).

PARACELSUS

126

upon the

Some

earth.

of

them

are short-lived, and

others will live unto the day of the dissolution of all
all know that a man may change his
things.

"We

life, so that he ultimately
becomes a very different person from what he was
before ; and thus every creature having a will can change
and become supernatural or unnatural i.e. different from
that which normally belongs to its nature.
Many of the
head-lights of the Church, who now strut about with
jewels and diamonds, will be dragons and worms when
the human body in which they are now masquerading
"
will have disappeared at the time of their death
(Lib.

character in the course of his

;

t

Phttos., iv.).
1

"There are the

but they are merely a kind
but there are also two more kinds

Sirens,

of monstrous fishes

;

of spirits, related to the Nymphs and Pigmies, namely,
This may not
the Gttgantes (giants) and the Dwarfs.

be believed; but

ought to be remembered that the

it

beginning of true knowledge is that the light of Nature
illumines man, and that in this light he knows all things
in Nature by means of the light of the inner man.
The
Giants and Dwarfs are monsters, being related to the
Sylvestres and Gnomes in the same sense as the Sirens
are related to the Undines.
They have no (spiritual)
souls,

to

and are rather to be compared to monkeys than
Such spirits are often the guardians
beings.

human

of hidden treasures."

"Such things will be denied and ridiculed by the
worldly wise ; but at the end of the world, when all things
will be revealed, then will also come forward the socalled 'doctors'

and

'

then will

professors/

who were great in
who were those

their

be seen

that
ignorance;
were learned in the foundation of Nature, and the others
learned in empty talk.
Then we will know those who
have written according to truth and those who taught

according to their
1

it

own fancy

;

Italicore Cafaoca

and each one
(Mermaid),

will receive

PNEUMATOLOGY

127

what he deserves. There will then be no doctors and
no magisters, and those who are now making a great
deal of parade and noise will then be very silent ; but
those

who have

be happy.

received the true understanding will

Therefore I recommend

when

my

writings to be

become manijudged
and
will
when
one
see
the
each
fest,
light as it was
at that time

all

things will

revealed to him."
"

The

evil spirits are, so to say, the bailiffs

and execu-

God (Karma). They have been called into
by the influences of evil, and they work out
But the vulgar have a too high estimate
destiny.

tioners of

existence
their

of their powers, especially of the power of the devil.

enough power to mend a broken pot,
a man.
He or it is the poorest
and
that
can
be
thought of,
poorer than any being
thing
1
that can be found in the four elements.
There are a
great many inventions, sciences, and arts that are ascribed

The

devil has not

much

less to enrich

to the agency of the (personal) devil; but before the
world grows much older it will be found that the devil

has nothing to do with such things, that the devil is
nothing and knows nothing, and that such things are
the results of natural causes.

True science can accom-

plish a great deal ; the Eternal Wisdom of the existence
of all things is without a time, without a beginning, and

without an end.

Things that are considered now to be
that which is unex;

impossible will be accomplished

pected will in future prove to be true, and that which is
looked upon as superstition in one century will be the
basis for the approved science of the next" (Philosophia
Occulta).
1

"
The "devil

is evil spiritual wilL
The devil has no power over man ;
allows a devil within himself to grow, then will the great Devil
aid the little devil to grow and nourish him with his own substance. (See

but

if

" The

man

Doctrines of Jacob Boehme.")

VI.

MAGIC AND SORCERY

IN proportion as an art or science is lost or forgotten,
the very name by which it was called becomes misunderIn proportion
stood, misapplied, and finally forgotten.
as

men become

unspiritual

and material, they

will

grow

There
comprehending the power of spirit.
the
existence
who
even
deny
persons
to-day

incapable of
are

many

of spirit, or of anything that transcends the power of
One example of the
perception of their physical senses.

the meaning which is at present
commonly attributed to the word magic. The true significance of that term is the application of spiritual knowdegradation of terms

is

ledge, or Wisdom, in contradistinction to that science
which sees only the material aspect of Nature. But the

vulgar have come to believe

"magic"

to

mean only

performances, or perhaps conjuring or
dealings with the devil, or with the spirits of the dead.
True magic is the greatest of all natural sciences, because
sleight-of-hand

it

includes a true knowledge of visible

Nature.

It is not only a science,

and

but also an

invisible

art,

because

cannot be learned out of books, but must be acquired
by practical experience. To acquire that spiritual ex-

it

perience is to become spiritual; it is to perceive and
the true natur'e of the visible and invisible elements

know

that compose the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, and to
possess the art to direct and employ the invisible powers
1
of Nature.
Divine knowledge and divine powers do
"

how to employ spiritual powers ; but it is
nobody can employ any spiritual powers unless he has
come into their possession by the awakening of his own spirituality ; nor
can any one become spiritual by merely imagining himself to be so, It w
i

Magic

is

the knowledge of

self-evident that

MAGIC AND SORCERY

129

not belong to the personal self. Therefore he who desires
to know and to use the powers of magic must rise above
the delusion of self, and become impersonal in the spirit.

He must

learn to distinguish between that which

and eternal and that which

is

divine

animal and selfish in him.
But there is also another art, called "black magic" or
sorcery, which consists, not in acting in and through the
power of God, which commands the elemental forces of
Nature, but by propitiating the evil elementals, and in
is

asking favours of them, becoming their
says

slave.

Paracelsus

:

"
Magic and sorcery are two entirely different things,
and there is as much difference between them as there is
between light and darkness, and between white and black.
Magic is the greatest wisdom and the knowledge of super-

appearances existing on the physical plane, but it will
be acquired by obtaining more spirituality, and making
one's self capable to feel and to see the things of the
It would be well if our clergymen, who are
spirit.
guides, would know more of spiritual
than
what
things
they have read in their books, and if
some
had
practical experience in divine wisdom,
they
instead of merely repeating the opinions of the other
people believed to have been divine/
called

spiritual

1

therefore not surprising that in an age in which the very meaning of the
'
'
spiritual became incomprehensible to the learned, the meaning of

term

'magic' has become also a mystery."
"

1

The word supernatural," as employed by Paracelsus, does not imply
anything beyond Nature as a whole, because nothing exists beyond the
All, but it means that which transcends Nature in her lower aspect, or
a higher or spiritual aspect of Nature than the merely mechanical and
physiological part of her work. If, for instance, we follow our instincts,
we act naturally that is to say, according to the demands of our animal
nature ; but if we resist natural impulses by the power of will and reason,
belonging to a higher order of Nature. If we avoid to
of the evil consequences which it would cause to ouract naturally ; but if we avoid it on account of an inherent love

we employ powers
do

evil

selves,

of

on account

we

principle,

we

act in the

wisdom

of

God,

I3

PARACELSUS

o
"

The wisdom which man ought

to have does not

come

spirit, but from the
Therefore man is
the Spirit of Wisdom.
fifth essence
and
to
the
stars
the
constellation,
provided he
superior
Such a
lives in the power of that superior wisdom.
and
means
heaven
over
master
the
earth,
by
person, being
1
of his freewill, is called a Magus, and therefore Magic

from the

earth, nor from the astral

"

not sorcery, but supreme wisdom (De Peste).
"
Christ and the prophets and the apostles had magical
powers, acquired less by their learning than by their holiis

ness.

They were

able to heal the sick

by the laying on

of their hands, and to perform many other wonderful but
Our clergymen talk a great deal about
natural things.

such things ; but where is the priest of to-day who can
do like Him ? It has been said by Christ that His true
followers would do the same things and still greater ones ;
but it would be difficult to find at present one Christian
minister

one who

who can do anything as Christ did. But if any
is not a man-made minister comes and cures the

sick by the power of Christ acting through him, they call
him a sorcerer and a child of the devil, and are willing to
burn him upon a stake."
The first requirement for the study of Magic is a
But there is a false
thorough knowledge of Nature.

A science may be perfectly
but nevertheless false, if its
fundamental d9ctrines are based upon a misunderstanding of spiritual truths, which a cold, unspiritual intellect
2
is unable to grasp.
The true science of Nature draws
its logical conclusions from fundamental truths, which it
knows to be true, because it perceives them by the power
of the mind illuminated by wisdom.
False science bases
and a true natural

science.

logical in all its deductions,

conclusions in regard to spiritual things upon external
appearances caused by the illusion of the senses; true
1
The will is only free when it is free from the delusion of self and its
its

desires.
2
first

All sciences are false
origin of anything

if

they are godless ; that is, if they seek for the
else but in divine truth,

anywhere

MAGIC AND SORCERY

131

science rests in the faculty of the higher regions of the
soul to grasp spiritual truths which are beyond

human

the power of perception of the semi-animal intellect.
Magic is a power which teaches the true nature of
the inner man, as well as the organisation of his outward
body. The superficial reasoner can comprehend nothing

but what he can perceive by his external senses; but
the inner

man

of his body.

has perceptive faculties transcending those
The spirit of man is not bound to any

locality ; it is as free as the wind which blows over the
sea.
If spiritual consciousness has once been attained,
spiritual perception follows.
During sleep the spirit is
capable to move more freely, and to visit distant places.

"

You

should

know

that

man

has the capability (latent

or active) to foresee future events, and to read the future
from the books of the past and from those of the present

Man

power by which he may see his
and the circumstances by which they are sur-

also possesses a

friends

rounded, although such persons
away from him at that time.

may be

a thousand miles

This art

is taught by
Gdbalis (the spiritual perception of man). It is a power
which may become especially active in dreams, and that
which is seen in such dreams is the reflection of the light

If a man in his waking
of wisdom and prophecy in man.
state knows nothing of such things, the cause of his igno-

rance

is,

that he does not understand

how

to search in

himself for the powers that are given to him by God, and
by which he can arrive at all the Wisdom, Reason, and

Knowledge concerning everything that
be near him or far away."

exists,

whether

it

He who

seeks the truth for his

own

purposes, or to

adorn and glorify himself with it, will never find it. We
should not seek to possess the truth, but to let it become
manifested in us.
"
There are those who imagine that man obtains his
knowledge from his own self and from the stars, so that if
one is borp. under a favourable star he will know every-

PARACELSUS

132

But if man is to inherit the kingdom of God,
thing.
how, then, can he be a child of the constellation, which is
doomed to perish ? Where, then, shall we seek for true
wisdom, except in that which is higher than all the stars,
" 1

(De Inventione Artium).
namely, God ?
" Men do
not
Ignorance is the cause of imperfection.
understand
do
not
know themselves, and therefore they
Each man has the
the things of their inner world.
and power of the
wisdom
the
essence of God, and all
world (germinally) in himself; he possesses one kind of

knowledge as much as another, and he who does not
which is in him cannot truly say that he does
not possess it, but only that he was not capable of sucfind that

cessfully seeking for it."
The exercise of inner sight requires tranquillity and
"Sleeping is waking in
peacefulness of the mind.

regard to such

arts,

because

it

is

Nature that acts during sleep on the
notwithstanding his invisibility,
the visible one.
The inner man

the inner light of
invisible

man, who,

existing as truly as
is the natural man, and
is

2
knows more than the one formed of flesh."

"

How can any one instruct others in regard to the
works of God if he does not keep His laws ? How can
any one teach Christ if he does not know Him ? How
can that which is not eternal know the eternal ? How
can a fool teach divine wisdom ? Verily, the nearer we
approach the judgment-day the more will there be wiseacres and pretended instructors ; but on that day those
who were the first will be the last, and the last ones the
first.
Our sciences are worthless if they do not spring
*
from the foundation of the true faith (Lib. Phttos.).
"
Nature is the universal teacher.
Whatever we can1

All phenomenal science springs from a knowledge of phenomena, and
and subject to change.
9
During sleep the soul, so to say, separates itself to a certain extent from
the body, and lives in its own sphere. If a man does not remember his
soul experiences after his body awakens, it is because the union of his
personal mind with his spiritual understanding has not yet taken place.
is

therefore only relative

MAGIC AND SORCERY

133

not learn from the external appearance of Nature we
can learn from her spirit.
Both are one. Everything
is taught by Nature to her
disciple, if he asks for information in an appropriate manner. Nature is a light,
and by looking at Nature in her own light we will understand her.
Visible Nature can be seen in her visible
light ; invisible Nature will become visible if we acquire
the power to perceive her inner light" 1 " The hidden
things are there like a pillar of rock before a blind

He

can see

he

is able to open his eyes.
show things in their true
colours ; but if the sun arises, then will the true colours
be seen. Thus the external light in Nature is like the
moon, beyond which shines the internal light, and in this
light that which has been invisible will appear visibly and
"There is a light in
comprehensibly" (Morb. Invis.).
the spirit of man illuminating everything, and by which
he may even perceive supernatural things. Those who
seek in the light of external Nature know the things of
Nature ; those who seek knowledge in the light of man
know the things above Nature, which belong to the
kingdom of God. Man is an animal, a spirit, and an
angel, for he has all three qualities. As long as he
remains in Nature he serves Nature ; if he moves in the
spirit, he serves the spirit (in him) ; if he lives in the
The first quality belongs
angel, he serves as an angel.
to the body, the two others to the soul, and they are its
The body of man remains on the earth, but
jewels.
man, having a soul and the two additional qualities, is
enabled to rise above Nature, and to know that which

person.

The moon

it

if

shines, but does not

does not belong to Nature.

He

has the power to learn

1
There is nothing to prevent any person from seeing by this inner light
of Nature, except the errors, prejudices, and misconceptions which are
caused by the illusions of the senses, and which are intensified by an
education in a system of philosophy which mistakes these errors for funda-

mental truths.

The

truth can only be found where it

is.

A knowledge

of the supreme power of the universe cannot be obtained by denying its
existence. Life cannot be found in an empty form.

PARACELSUS

134

that belongs to heaven and hell, to know God and
His kingdom, the angels and spirits, and the origin of
evil.
If a man is to go to a certain place, it will be
nsefnl to Mm to know all about that place before he
all

goes there he will then after his arrival be enabled to
move about freely, and to go wherever he pleases. The
;

each thing created by God, whether it be
visible or invisible to the senses, may be perceived and
known. If man knows the essence of things, their attriquality

of

and the elements of which they
he
will
be
a
of Nature, of the elements,
master
consist,
and of the spirits nl (Phttospphia Sagax).
butes, their attractions,

"

The truth does not grow from your speculation and

phantastry; but he who understands his own nature in
the light of Nature possesses true knowledge. It is not
sufficient that we should have a theory of the truth, but

we should know the

truth in ourselves

"

(De

Peste.).

"There are two kinds of intelligence, that of the
carnal man and that of the spirit; the former argues,
the latter knows. Animals also have reasoning qualities ;
but their understanding is not from the (direct) light of
"
(De ffenerat. Hbmin.).
"The light of Nature teaches us that each form,
reasonable and unreasonable, conscious ones and such
as are without consciousness, has its natural spirit.
The
the spirit

Nectromanticus (seer) must

know

these spirits, for with-

out that knowledge he will not find their true character.
By his art he can sense them, and having perceived
them with his inner sense he will find their forms.

Such spirits may be perceived in crystals; they guide
the divining-rod and attract it as a magnet attracts
8
iron; they turn the sieve and the key, and draw the
1

Here Paracelsus does not refer merely to the faculty of ordinary
clairvoyance, but to the true inner comprehension, to the "spirit of
Nature" which reveals all things in its own light. It is, in other
words, the Holy Ghost or the true spiritual understanding within the
"
higher region of the mind, above the constellation."
8
Such modes of divination are well known to modern spiritualists.

MAGIC AND SORCERY

135

flame of a light away from the wick.
By the art of
Nectromancy we may look into the interior of rocks,
1

read without being opened, hidden
things be found, and all the secrets of men be brought
to light.
Some people believe that such arts can best
closed letters

may be

be practised by virgins and innocent children, because
minds are not clouded by false opinions nor
darkened by memories of evil deeds; but any one can
practise this art if he has the necessary qualifications"
their

(Philosophic!, Sagoo).

He who understands letters can read words, and he
who knows words can read books. If we know that
a certain cause may produce a certain effect, and if
such an effect takes place, we will easily recognise
"
the cause that produced it.
If the crowing of cocks
announces a change of weather, and if we hear the
cocks crow in an unusual manner, we may predict that

the weather will change.
Certain animals have inherited instincts that cause them to act in a certain

manner, which will indicate other future events than
a change in the weather.
The peculiar cry of a peacock or the unusual howling of a dog indicates the
approach of a death in the house to which they are
attached

;

for every being is a product of the universal

life, and each contains the light of Nature.
Animals possess that light, and men bring it with them

principle of

into the world."

The power

2

of clairvoyance

and

prevision is especially

when the

activity of the physical body
the disturbing influences coming through

active in dreams,

subdued, and
the avenues of the physical senses are excluded. "Artists
and students have often received instructions in their
is

1

The

2

Man

astral duplicate of the writing is seen

possesses that power
wards by neglecting to use it,

by the astral sense.
from birth, bat the majority lose it afterand in consequence of concentrating all

upon the illusions of the material plane. Moreover, the
organs for the finer perceptions become paralysed and atrophied by the
use of alcoholic drinks.
their attention

PARACELSUS

136

dreams in regard to things which they desired to know.
Their imagination was then free, and began to work its
wonders.
It attracted to it the Evestra of some philoand
sophers,
they communicated to them their knowledge.
Such things* happen frequently, but it very often occurs
that on awakening to consciousness in the outer world
all or a part of what has been learned during the dream
If this happens and we wish to remember
is forgotten.
such dreams, we should not leave the room after rising,
and speak to nobody, but remain alone and undisturbed,
and eat nothing until after a while we remember that
dream."
"

J

an important
are
that
dreams
pleasant may signify
many
sorrow, and disagreeable dreams often signify joy ; and
It is often the case that dreams have

meaning, but

we

should,

dreams."

therefore,

not put too

much

confidence in

2

bodies may more easily be influenced
The power
than
during sleep
during the waking state.
to influence persons during their sleep is sometimes used
for evil purposes: "Some persons, being in love with

Men's

others,

astral

and finding their love unrequited, have sometimes

used this circumstance to influence those whose love they
desired by appearing to them in their dreams.
They
wrote with their own blood their names upon pieces of

new paper, and put the slips under their pillows or beds,
so that these persons should see the intended lovers in
their dreams and fall in love with them.
Girls used to
put their belts, ribbons, locks of hair, &c., under the
pillows of young men for whose love they craved ; but
very seldom they found the desired result in this manner,
1
Dreams or visions of a true spiritual origin make usually a very
strong impression, and are then not easily forgotten.
2
Thus, for instance, we may dream of a death and burial, and the cause

dream may be that one of the animal elementals in our own
died, or, in other words, that we have become free
from some degrading idea or element, an event which is surely a cause
of that

constitution has

for joy.

MAGIC AND SORCERY
because they forgot that faith
success."

is

137

necessary to obtain

1

A strong faith and a powerful imagination are the
two pillars supporting the door to the temple of magic,
and without which nothing can be accomplished. Imathe formative power of man ;
instinctively and without any conscious
gination
"

is

ifc

often acts

effort

of the

Man

has a visible and an invisible workshop.
The visible one is his body, the invisible one his imawill.

The sun gives light, and this light
gination (mind).
not tangible, but its heat may be felt, and if the

is

The
rays are concentrated it may set a house on fire.
its
a
in
is
sun
soul
of
in
the
man,
imagination
acting

own

sphere as the sun of the earth acts in that of the
Wherever the sun shines, germs planted in the
grow and vegetation springs up, and the sun of

earth.
soil

the soul acts in a similar manner, and calls the forms
of the soul into existence.
Visible and tangible forms

grow into existence from

invisible elements

by the power

Invisible vapours are attracted and
collected together into visible mists by the power of
the sun of the outer world, and the inner sun of man
of the

sunshine.

The great world is only a
product of the imagination of the universal mind, and
man is a little world of its own that imagines and
creates by the power of imagination.
If man's ima-

performs similar wonders.

gination is strong enough to penetrate into every corner
of his interior world, it will be able to create things
in those corners, and whatever man thinks will take

form in his soul. But the imagination of Nature is like
a monkey aping the actions of man.
That which man
does is imitated by the monkey, and the pictures formed
1 All such
practices have a certain scientific reason. The experiments
of Reichenbaoh with the magnetic or odic emanations of persons and

objects have shown the great effect they have upon sensitive organisms ;
but to try such experiments upon hardened sceptics and habitual deniers
is like testing the powers of a magnet upon a piece of wood.

PARACELSUS

I 38

in the imagination of man create corresponding images
in the mirror of Nature."

The sun has a light
"Imagination is like the sun.
which is not tangible, but which, nevertheless, can set a
house on fire thus the imagination is like a sun in man
acting in that place to which its light is directed."
"
Man is mind ; he is what he thinks. If he thinks
if he thinks war, then will he cause
fire, he is on fire
war; it all depends merely on that the whole of his
imagination becomes an entire sun ; i.e., that he wholly
"
imagines that which he wills (De Virtute Imaginative^.
" The sun acts
upon the visible soil of the earth, and
;

;

upon invisible matter in the air ; imagination acts upon
the invisible substance of the soul, but the visible earth
is formed from the invisible elements of the earth, and
man's physical body

The

soul.

soul of

is

man

formed of his invisible
is

as intimately related

astral

to the

soul of the earth as the physical body of the man is
related to the physical body of the man, and they continually act upon each other, and without the soul the
vehicle could not exist.
Visible matter becomes in-

and is acted on by the soul, and invisible matter
becomes organised and is made visible again through
the influence of the soul.
If a pregnant woman imavisible,

gines something strongly, the effects of her imagination
become manifest in the child.1 Imagination springs

will

and as man may have good or evil desires,
may have a good or an evil imagination.
desire
of either kind will give rise to a
strong

from

desire,

likewise he

A

strong imagination.

be

effective if

Curses as well as blessings will

they come from the heart

"

(De Virtue

1
For this reason pregnant women should during the time of their
pregnancy have beautiful surroundings and think noble and beautiful

thoughts.
3
If we do not think that which we speak, our words will be
empty
talk. He who thinks many
things disperses his power in many directions ;
he who thinks and wills only one thing is powerful

MAGIC AND SORCERY

139

"

Nothing can come out of the sphere of the mind
except what is drawn into it, and that which is drawn
into it can come out.
If a pregnant woman craves for
strawberries, the image of strawberries will be drawn
into her mind, and her imagination may impress a mark

resembling a strawberry upon the child.
Frogs do not
grow in the sky, and if (as has happened) a multitude
of frogs come down from it during a rain, these frogs

must have been drawn up somewhere before they came
down."
" The
imagination of women is usually stronger than
that of men.
They are more passionate, stronger in
love and stronger in hate, and their imagination may
carry them during their sleep (in their astral forms)
to other places, where they may be seen by others who
are in the same state.
They are then really at those

and will remember what they have seen, although
were
there without their physical bodies ; for their
they
minds were active at such places, and the mind is the
places,

1

real person, not the body that is asleep."
If a pregnant woman forms an image in her

and

projects

it

by her desire,

it

mind
on

will impress itself

"
the body of the child.
If, for instance, a woman in
her imagination strongly conceives of a snail, and then

puts her hand upon her knee, then will the image of
Her will
the snail appear upon the knee of the child.
(although unconsciously) acts in this way like a master,
Wherever the
bidding a painter to paint him a snail.
touch of the hand goes, there will be the image" (De
Virtute Imaginatwa).
" If a
person dies, and seriously desires that another

person should die with him, his imagination creates a
draw a vehicle from his dead body and

force that will
1

This passage refers to the excursions of witches on the Hartz Mounand other places, often spoken of in the witch trials. Many supposed
witches were bnrnt to death for having confessed that they had attended
at such meetings.
tains

PARACELSUS

140

shape, and this can be projected by the impulse
to
it by the thought of the dying person towards
given
Such is especially
that person, and cause him to die.

give

it

the case

if

a

woman

dies of puerperal

1

fever,

and

if

woman

wishes that the whole world should die
with her, an epidemic may be the consequence of her

such a

poisoned imagination."
"Fear, terror, passion, desire, joy, and envy are six
states of the mind which especially rule the imagination,
and consequently the world of man; and as the mind

man

is the microcosmic counterpart of the universal
the
mind,
antitypes of these states are also active in
the imagination of the world, and the thoughts of man
It is
act upon the latter as the latter acts upon him.

of

we should govern our imagina-

therefore desirable that
tion

and not allow

to grasp the spirit

by

it

Man

is

run

We

wild.

by the power of the

speculative fancy

"

to

" 2

should attempt
spirit, and not

(De Virtute Imaginative!).

a twofold being, having a divine and an

If he feels, and thinks,
divine beings should act, he is a true man

animal nature.

and

acts

as

he feels
and acts like an animal, he is then an animal, and the
equal of those animals whose mental characteristics are
An exalted imagination caused by
manifested in him.
a desire for the good raises him up a low imagination
caused by a desire for that which is low and vulgar
drags him down and degrades him."
" The
is the
the
and
;

if

;

master, imagination
tool,
spirit
the body the plastic material.
Imagination is the power
by which the will forms sidereal entities out of thoughts.

known that the corpses of women having died of puerperal
and dissecting wounds received in such cases
The passage implies that the invisible astral
substance may draw contagion from the poisonous body, and spread it
by the power of an evil will.
2
This means that we should be able to feel the truth with our souls,
without reasoning about it from an objective standpoint. We should
realise the truth by being one with it, and not examine it as if it were
something strange and separate from ourselves.
1

It

is

well

fever are very infectious,
are especially dangerous.

MAGIC AND SORCERY

141

Imagination is not fancy, which latter is the cornerstone of superstition and foolishness.
The imagination
of man becomes pregnant through desire, and gives birth

Every one may regulate and educate his
imagination so as to come thereby into contact with
spirits, and be taught by them.
Spirits desiring to act
to deeds.

upon man

make

1

his imagination, and they therefore
often use of his dreams for the purpose of acting
him.
During sleep the sidereal man may by the

act

upon

upon
power of the imagination be sent out of the physical
No place
form, at a distance to act for some purpose.
is too far for the imagination to go, and the imagination

man

of one

reaches
"

"

can impress that of another, wherever

it

(Philosophia Sagax).
is the beginning of the growth of a form,
the
The Will is a
process of its growth.
guides

Imagination

and

it

dissolving power, which enables the body to become
c
impregnated by the tincture of the imagination. He
who wants to know how a man can unite his power
'

of imagination with the power of the imagination of
Heaven, must know by what process this may be done.

man comes into possession

of creative power by uniting
with the Universal Mind, and he who
succeeds in doing so will be in possession of the highest

.A

Ms own mind
possible

wisdom; the Jbwer realm

of

Nature will be

subject to him, and the powers of Heaven will aid him,
*
because Heaven is the servant of wisdom."
"

Before

man is born, and afterwards,
it may be perfected through

perfect, but

his soul is not

the power of a

holy WilL
Spirits are essential, visible, tangible, and
8
sensitive in relation to -other spirits.
They stand in a
1

Even

physical sight depends

on the imagination.

" I see
object, it is not scientific to say,
to see."
2
no man can do

"

;

but

If

we ought to

we behold an
"I imagine

say,

by exercising his own self-will ; but
accomplished by the divine will in him, into which he must enter
himself, it being that of his higher self.
*
The term "spirits " refers here to intelligent souls,
This, however,

it

is

PARACELSUS

142

similar relation to each other, as physical bodies to other
Spirits speak with each other through
but
not
spirit,
by means of audible speech. While the
body is asleep, the soul may go to a distant place, and act
1
If it meets another spirit,
intelligently at such place.

physical bodies.

whether

it

be an incarnated or a disincarnated one, they

two human beings
One man communicates his thoughts
they meet.
to another with whom he is in sympathy, at any distance,
however great it may be,2 or he may act upon the spirit
will act in regard to each other as
act, if

of another person in such a manner as to influence his
body of the latter awakens from his

actions after the
8

In this way he can even injure the health of
that person, and upon this law of Nature is based the
possibility of witchcraft and sorcery."
sleep.

"The

exercise of true

magic does not require any

ceremonies or conjurations, or the making of circles or
signs it requires neither benedictions nor maledictions
;

in words, neither verbal blessings nor curses; it only
requires a strong faith in the omnipotent power of all

good, that can accomplish everything

if it

acts

through a

1
It may happen that the spirit of a person will go to a distant place
while the body is asleep, and act intelligently there, and that the man,

after

his sleep, remembers nothing about it.
But an
spiritual consciousness is his normal state, can do so
consciously, and remember all about it after his spirit

awakening from

adept, in

whom

knowingly and
(Majavi-Rupa) returns to his body.
3
Any one may make successful
transference.

scientific experiments with thoughtSimilar scientific experiments for long distances will be
on account of the differences of time, place, and conditions,

more difficult,
and because spiritually enlightened

persons, possessing great power of
impressing their thoughts at great distances, are at present not easily
found.
8
It has been proved by many experiments that a person thrown into
a mesmeric sleep by a mesmeriser may be requested to do certain things
after he awakens from his sleep, and that after he awakens he will perform such actions, although he will not remember what has taken place

during his sleep.

It

of morality of our

is

therefore very fortunate that, in the present state
civilisation, such powers are not generally

modern

known, and that they are not often
to abuse them,

in the possession of those

who wish

MAGIC AND SORCERY

143

human tnind being in harmony with it, and without which
True magic power
nothing useful can be accomplished.
consists in true faith, but true faith rests in spiritual
knowledge, and without that kind of knowledge there
can be no faith.
If I know that divine wisdom can
accomplish a certain thing through me, I have the true
holy faith; but if I merely fancy or suppose that a
thing might be possible, or if I attempt to persuade

myself that I believe in

its

possibility,

such a belief

is

no knowledge, and confers no faith. No one can have
a true faith in a thing which is not true, because such
a 'faith' would be merely a belief or opinion based
upon ignorance of the truth."
Nothing can be accomplished without the power of
If a loaf of bread were laid on a table before
faith.
a hungry^man, and the^mM^d jidt J^ev^ Jihat' Be'
could break a piece of it, he would starve to death in
" It is the faith which
spite of the loaf.
gives us power,
and through the power of faith we become spirits ourFaith renders
selves, and able to use spiritual power.
^

All that is
the spirit strong; doubt is the destroyer.
accomplished over and beyond our terrestrial nature is
That
accomplished by us through the power of faith.
He who
in which we have faith requires no proofs.
If God speaks
asks for proofs departs from the faith.

we

in us,

require

no proofs

we

of the truth of

what

He

in the power of truth.
This
recognise
says ;
he
throws
it
taken
from
unless
is
himnobody,
power
The good as well as the evil-disposed ones
self away.
for

it

can only be strong through faith.
power of faith, but its application
fq; evil

"

(Morb. Invis.).

There is only one
may be for good or

1

1
Faith is not based npon any intellectual comprehension, but it is the
It is not a belief
some external aid,
true spiritual understanding.
but the inner consciousness of the possession of power. If Joshua Davidson broke his leg by jumping from a two-story window for the purpose

m

of proving bis faith to himself, it was because he superstitioasly believed
that some external power would protect him in his fall, and he knew

PARACELSUS

44

I

"

How

can there be any true faith in a

man who

has

The godless do not
not in himself the power of God ?
believe in faith because they have none of it, even if they
They cannot know what
continually talk about it.
'

'

faith

out an

is.

Where can we find a theologian who drove
made a spirit come, or who healed

evil spirit, or

the sick by the power of God's will ; not to mention the
fact that no clergyman ever removed a mountain by

means of his faith, or threw it into the ocean ? But if
some one produces a sign, be it good or evil, they denounce
him and call him a sorcerer ; for they are not capable to
distinguish between magic and sorcery" (Philos. Occult., ii.).
"Faith is the cause of witchcraft and sorceries, by
which means one person may injure another without
running much risk of discovery because he may kill or
injure his enemy without going near him, and the latter
cannot defend himself as he might if he were attacked by
;

a visible

foe.

Great care should be taken that the powers

of the faith are not misused, because in such a case it
The witches l are the most dangerous
will be witchcraft.

persons in the world,

if

they use their evil will against

anybody."
"It would be very easy to give instructions so that
every one might convince himself of the truth of these
statements, but such instructions might be misused by
wicked persons who might employ such knowledge for
evil purposes ; and it is, moreover, not to be regretted if
methods by which one man may injure another should
not be publicly known. 2 But there are certain things
nothing of the power of the god, his own self. His faith was an artificial
and not a natural one. He knew nothing about God ; that is to say, he
bad no divine will ; he placed his confidence in the say so of the theologians, but not in his own perception of truth.
"
1
They are now called hypnotisers."
2

be remarked that the processes given below would not be
employed by any one who is not in possession of power to
make them effective, and we see, therefore, no cause why they should
not be published. Those who
possess such evil powers know these
It

may

effective if

things

already.

MAGIC AND SORCERY

145

ought to be known to physicians, so that they
learn the cause of certain mysterious diseases, and
know the means how to cure them, and to counteract

that

may

by the power of good. There are, for inwho make an image representing
the person whom they desire to injure, and they drive a
nail into the foot of that image, and evil will and malievil influences

some

stance,

sorcerers

cious thought cause the person whom the image represents to experience a great pain in his foot, and to be
unable to walk until the nail from the image is removed.

a physician meets with such a case, and he
know the cause of the pain in the foot of
his patient, he will not be able to cure it; but if he

Now,

if

does not

knows the

cause, he can employ the power of imagination to counteract the evil that has been caused by a
1

similar power."
"
it has

happened that nails and hair, needles,
of
bristles, pieces
glass, and many other things have been
cut or been pulled out of the bodies of certain patients, and
Thus,

were followed by other things of a similar character, and
that sucib. a state of affairs continued for many weeks or
months, and the physicians stood there helpless, and did
But if they had better understood
not know what to do.
their business, they would have known that these things
had been brought into the body of a patient by the power
of the evil imagination of a sorcerer, and they might
have put one of the extracted articles into an elder or
oak tree, on the side directed towards the rising sun,
and that article would have acted like a magnet to
attract the evil influence, and it would have cured the
patient,"
"

A

strong will subdues a weaker one, and therefore

modern erudition would take some trouble to
an unsophisticated manner among the country populations of
Europe, they would he surprised at the great amount of evil that is still
caused by sorcery, either consciously or unconsciously employed. Such
1

If the representatives of

inquire in

things are all caused by natural means, but with whose character our
modern sceptics are not acquainted.

K

PARACELSUS

I 46

the

first

magic

of producing
necessary condition for the purpose
the development of the will. The power of

effects is

the will acts more readily upon animals than upon man,
because the soul of man, being supported by the divine
defend itself against the inspirit, has more power to
fluence of a foreign will than the sidereal body of animals.
The will of a waking man will act upon another person,
who may be awake or asleep ; but it can also happen
*

that one
are

man

acts spiritually upon another while both
astral form of a sleeping
person

the

asleep;

can visit another person in his dream, and influence
the latter to love him ; or it may injure that person, or
perhaps cause him to perform something which he would
not perform if left to himself."
In regard to the action of the will at a distance, Para"

celsus says :
As to images of wax (which are made for
the purpose of assisting the imagination and concentrating
the will), 1 will tell you that, if a person desires to injure

an enemy, he may do so through some
In this way it is possible that

vehicle.

medium ;

my

spirit,

i.e.,

a

with-

body and without a sword, can
kill or wound another person simply by the action of my
will.
It is furthermore possible that I may bring the
of
spirit
my enemy into an image, and afterwards injure
or lame him in the image according to my will, and that
out the assistance of

my

the body of that enemy will be correspondingly injured
or lamed thereby.
The power of the will is the main
point in medicine.
will

A

man who

produce good effects.

wishes every one well

One who begrudges everybody

everything good, and is full of hate, will experience
his~- own person the "effects oFTiis evil thoughts.
WJ^ ..,.,,._...,., -.^-.^..,.,,.5.
^^^^f^^ v
Images may be cursed, and diseases such as fevers,

on

epilepsy, apoplexy, &c.
thereby be caused to the perwhom those images are made to represent. I am

sons

speaking seriously. Our physicians know only a very
small part of the power of the will.
The will creates
spirits (forces) that have nothing to do with reason-

MAGIC AND SORCERY
but

ing

obey blindly"

1

147
tract,

(Paramirum,

iv.

cap.

viii.).

A

" Faith stimulates and
elevates the power of the spirit
person who has a strong faith feels as if he were lifted

up, and were living independent of the body.
By the
power of faith the apostles and patriarchs accomplished

great things that were above the ordinary run of Nature,
and the saints performed their miracles 3 by the power

Such miracles as were performed by them
during their lifetime were performed by their own faith ;
other miracles that took place through their relics or
near their tombs were caused by the power of faith of
All the wonders of Magic
those who asked their help.
of faith.

by Imagination and Faith."
In producing magical cures, it is the power of faith in
the patient himself, and not the dead saint or the relic,
are performed

that cures the disease.
"

A

A

dead saint cannot cure anybody.

living saint
virtue
of
the
divine
may
power that
by
acts through him.
This divine power does not die
with the body of the saint, and therefore true saints

cure the sick

are

still

living,

although their mortal bodies have died.

The power which enabled the
is still alive,
1

We

and accessible to

work miracles

saints to
all.

It is the

power of

would not advise any reader to make any such experiment,

because, apart from the immorality of such a practice, it
occultist that if such an evil power is once propelled, and

is
is

known

to every
not of sufficient

strength to penetrate the soul-sphere of his object, and to accomplish its
it rebounds with a destructive effect to the source from whence

purpose,

was projected.
The term " miracles " means natural feats produced by spiritual
power. If a person acts against his own natural instincts if he, for
instance, performs an act of unselfishness without any hope of reward
such an act may be called a supernatural act. The natural law for self
is selfishness, and if a man causes his selfish nature to act in a manner
it

2

that goes against the interests of that nature, he acts in the strength
of a power that is beyond his selfish nature and supernatural to it,
although that power is not outside of him. Spirit may manifest itself
God is the original cause
in Nature, but it is not produced by Nature.
of all things
festation,

;

Nature

is

an

effect,

God

is

the will

j

Nature

its

mani-

i

PARACELSUS

48

the Holy Ghost, and if you live in God He
shadow yon with that power, and it will
the laws of God, and you will be guided
saints, even as the apostles Peter or Paul"

torum

will over-

teach
like

you
other

(De Sanc-

Beneficiis Vindictis).

"

Faith has a great deal more power than the physical
Too are visible and corporeal, but there is
body.

an invisible man in you, and that invisible man
yourself too. Each act performed by your body is
The one acts in a
performed by the invisible man.
still

is

visible,

the other in an invisible, manner.

If

an in-

jury is inflicted upon the invisible man, that injury will
1
Such things can
be reproduced on his visible body.
to
is
"Whoit
but
be done,
attempt them.
very wrong
attempts them is tempting God, and he who
There have
succeeds will seriously injure his own soul.
ever

been people who have made images of wax representing
certain persons of the opposite sex, and they melted
such forms by the heat of a light, to assist their own
evil imagination, and by using their faith they have
succeeded in enticing those persons into an unlawful
The Chaldaeans and Egyptians used to make
love.
images according to the constellations of the stars, and
these images moved and talked, but they did not know
the powers that acted in them.
Such things are done
by faith, but it is not the true faith in God, but a
devilish faith, supported by the desire for evil ; because
a faith that kills and injures men is not good ; a true
faith can only come from the source of all good, in
1

What

a great

logical institutes"
scientific curiosity

field

and

would be opened to the delight of our "physiovivisectors for the gratification of their morbid

if this art were taught, or if they believed in its
Fortunately the scepticism of the fool is his own best protection against the evils that would arise from
premature knowledge,
and also the best protection for mankind against the injury he would
otherwise inflict. But that such things can be done will be clear to
every intelligent student of mediaeval witchcraft, and they are still done
this very day, several such cases
having recently come within the

possibility

!

per-

sonal knowledge of the author.

MAGIC AND SORCERY
which there can be no

evil,

149

and that which

is

not good

not true.

Evil belongs to the world, because without
evil good could not be known or appreciated ; but in
the source of good there can be no evil." l

is

"True

powers, and this fact
and
not merely visible
proves
spirits,
Faith accomplishes that which the body would
bodies.
Man is created with
accomplish if it had the power.
than
is
heaven and greater
he
great powers;
greater
than the earth.
He possesses faith, and when his faith
has become a conscious power in him it will be a
light more powerful and superior to natural light, and
faith

that

has wonderful

we

are

All magic processes
stronger than all mortal creatures.
are based upon that faith.
By faith and imagination

we can accomplish whatever we
of faith overcomes

desire.

The true power

the spirits of Nature, because it
is a spiritual power, and spirit is higher than Nature.
Whatever is grown in the realm of Nature may be
all

Whatever we accomchanged by the power of faith.
plish that surpasses Nature is accomplished by the power
2
of faith, and by faith diseases may be cured" (PMlosophia Sagax).
"

The

sidereal

man

is

of a magnetic nature,

and for

that reason he can attract the powers and effluvia of the
astral-world.
If, therefore, any inimical astral influences
are circulating in the All of Nature, the man becomes
sick, and if these currents change he will become well
again.
1

Absolute good cannot be

evil to
2

The same thing happens
evil,

if

a good or an evil

but requires the presence of relative

become manifest.

However much

this may be disputed in theory by superficial reasoners,
nevertheless accepted in practice even by the most sceptical practitioners of medicine.
physician who has no confidence or faith in
his own ability will not accomplish much.
Moreover, physicians often

it is

A

have each one his own favourite remedy, which will act successfully, if
employed by one, and fail in the hands of another, and this can be explained by the fact that one physician has more faith in his own favourite
remedy than in that of another.

PARACELSUS

150

or creates
thought, supported by a strong faith, changes
current* that act upon the sidereal man." l
The astral currents created by the imagination of the

Macrocosmos act upon the Microcosmos, and produce
the latter, and thus also the astral
currents produced by the imagination and will of man
produce certain states in external Nature, and these
certain states in

currents reach very far, because the power of the imagiThe physionation reaches as far as thought can go.

body of living
and the physio-

processes taking place in the
are
caused by their life currents,
beings
logical

and meteorological processes taking place in the
great organism of Nature are caused by the life currents
The astral currents of either act
of Nature as a whole.
the
either
other,
consciously or unconsciously, and
upon
logical

if this fact is

properly understood it will cease to appear
mind of man can produce changes in

incredible that the

the

universal mind,

which

will

cause changes in the

atmosphere, winds and rains, storms,
ning, or that evil

may be changed

hail,

into

and

light-

good by the

"Heaven (the mind) is a field into
power of faith.
which the imagination of man throws the seeds. Nature
is an artist that develops the seeds, and what is caused
"
by Nature may be imitated by Art (De Sagis et eorum
"

To conjure the spirit of a thing means to seek after
the truth which that thing represents.
To see the spirit
of a thing means to recognise the character of thnt
thing, with

all

its

qualities

and

attributes.

2

To make

the spirit of a thing subservient to one's power is to
know how to use the powers that are hidden in such
a thing for our own purposes. If I know the attributes
1 "
The whole world is like a man and a woman, and has also its
anima and its spiritus imaginationis ; only much stronger and more
The spirit orders, the will (matter) obeys;
powerfully than man/'
thought (imagination) directs, the soul (the body) executes and produces,

be

it

2

intellectually or without intelligence.
"
of a thing is represeuted
"spirit

The

by the sum

of its qualities.

MAGIC AND SORCERY

151

of a thing, I know its spirit.
If I can make use of
the qualities of a thing, its spirit will be my servant.
Nothing can be known of a thing unless we succeed in
making its character appear plain to our understanding."
"

The vehicle through which the will acts for effectuMumia 1 is a
ating good or evil is the living Mumia.
vehicle that contains the essence of life.
If we eat the
flesh of animals, it is not their flesh itself that

forms
again blood and bones in our bodies, but the invisible
vehicle of life derived from the flesh of these animals
is taken up into our bodies, and forms new tissues

and organs. If
internal disease,

an animal dies in consequence

we do not eat

its flesh,

because

of

its

some

Mumia

has been poisoned by its disease ; neither do we eat the
flesh of animals that died of old age, nor the flesh of a
rotten carcass, because its healthy Mumia has departed

on account

of the decomposition,

and what

Mumia has been poisoned by the process
The Mumia of a living being partakes
teristics of

of the

is left

of putrefaction.
of the charac-

the being from which it is taken.
For this
eat the flesh of ferocious animals, such

we do not

reason

as tigers,

lions,

Mumia which
causes in

him

wild-cats,

&c.

They contain a

fiery

stimulates the astral essences of man, and
such tendencies as were the characteristics

We

of the animals from which they are taken. 2
eat the
flesh of domestic animals, because their character is more

gentle and their Mumia less exciting, such as the stupid
ox, the gentle sheep, &c.; but the healthiest animal food

the

is

flesh,

of birds, because they live in the

air,

and the

air is the noblest of the four elements."
1

3

The odio or "magnetic" body, containing the life-principle.
One reason why any one who desires to develop his spirituality

if his

condition otherwise permits

flesh of

it,

adopt a vegetarian

diet, is

should,
that the

animals exercises a stimulating effect upon the lower and animal
The
which ought to be overcome instead of being aroused.

instincts,

scientific explanation of this action of flesh is, that each material thing is
of its soul, and that it contains some of the qualities of that

an expression
soul or life
in

whom

(

Jfoma), and communicates
taken up.

it is

them to a

certain extent to those

PARACELSUS

i$2

The " Mumia

*

of a thing

is its life-principle.

" From

the use of the

Mumia have resulted the greatest and
mysterious magnetic cures; for some persons who have
learned to know and understand the action and
power
of their own Mumia, and that even a small dose of it
attracts unto itself the
powers of the whole body, like
the magnet attracts iron, have in this
way cured them-

selves of

many

"

ills

"The liumia

Mumia

that

(Philosoph., tract

of the dead body

iii.).

is

useless,

and the

prepared by embalming a corpse is good
for nothing but to serve as food for worms.
The most
efficacious Mumia is that of a
died
in an
who
person
unnatural manner while his
was
in
body
good health;
such a one, for instance, as has been
hung or decapitated, or whose
has been broken on the wheel

A

is

body

who

dies a slow death in consequence of
disease loses his
powers before he dies, and

person

some

putrefaction
begins often in such cases even while the patient is still
alive.
His Mumia will then be worthless.
But if our
physicians knew the occult powers of the Mumia of persons that have died sudden
deaths, they would not permit
the body of an executed criminal to
hang at the gallows
for over three
days, but they would take it away and use
it for medical
Such a Mumia is very powerful,
purposes.
especially after it has been exposed to the influence of
the air, the sun, and the moon."
^

46

The Mumia of a
being who dies a violent death in
the air returns to the air the Mumia of
a body is taken
;
up by that element in which the body is
decomposed.
If a person is
drowned, his Mumia will go to the element
of water; if he is
"
to that of the fire 1
burnt, it will
go

(Pkilosoph., tract iii).
h Se

h

"*

*

a Certain extent

abated
spiritualism
m jcnow mat!
win
usually at the beginning of a strong "physical manifestation
a cold
of
air is felt, and sometimes even a
draught
corpse-like odour
p rvaaes t&e air of the room
where the stance is held. This is caused by
06
the a8traJ bod Of **
dead bringing with it the elements
y
rfftfi
fif
its
surroundings, such as are connected with its
Mumia, from the grave.

T*

I

with modern

MAGIC AND SORCERY

153

"These three kinds of Mnmia have very wonderful
occult powers, and
through their use

many

strange feats

may be performed

by those who know how

to

employ

them, especially by such as have taken the Mumia themselves from the persons for whose life it served as a

Such people are executioners, hangmen, and
murderers, and the latter sometimes kill a man for
the mere purpose of obtaining his Mumia to perform
vehicle.

wicked things.
But for such people it would have been
better if a millstone had been hung about their necks

and they had been thrown into the sea, because they
will themselves end in a pitiful manner, and their souls
will experience the evil which they themselves have
created."

On

1

account of the great occult power contained in the
it is used in witchcraft and sorcery.
"Witches

Mumia,

and sorcerers may make a bargain with

evil spirits,

and

cause them to carry the Mumia to certain places where
it will come in contact with other people, without the
knowledge of the latter, and cause them harm.
They

take earth from the graves of people who have died
of the plague, and infect other people with it.
They
2
also infect the cattle, spoil the milk, and cause a great
"
"
is the
of a drowned person, the air in the room will appear
spirit
become damp and musty, or perhaps a sprinkling of spray may take
"
"
Moreover, if the spirit of a person who was a great drunkard
place.
manifests itself, the air may become pervaded with the odour of alcohol.
1 The final fate of
sorcerers and black magicians has often been alluded
The organisation of spiritual forces which
to in writings on occultism.
they create, and in which their consciousness and sensation rests, is
If it

to

very strong ; but as it does not receive its life from tbe Supreme Spirit,
not immortal, and its dissolution will therefore be painful and slow,
but certain.
2 Note.
I have taken especial pains to investigate this subject, and I
have come to the conclusion that, if such persons make a bargain with

it is

they usually do this effectually, not by any talk or ceremonies, but by entering into a state of harmony of feeling (coming en
rapport] with such evil entities, and they may do this unconsciously or
unknowingly in their normal state, or it may be that only the sidereal
man knows that such a compact exists. Such "sorcerers" are often
evil-disposed but ignorant persons, who perhaps do not even know that
evil spirits,

PARACELSUS

I 54

deal of damage, and the injured people do not know
the cause of the evils that afflict them.
great deal

A

we will not
might be said in regard to this subject, but
write it down, because we do not desire to give inthe
they possess such powers, and they "bewitch" persons simply by
power of their ill-will, guided by some unseen intelligence, and without
in other instances they
being themselves conscious of their success ; but
know it. The fact that such sorceries do occur will not be doubted

They occur to a great
subject.
among the country people in Europe, and especially in Roman
Catholic countries. In Bavaria and Tyrol the country people are always
by any one who has investigated the

extent

whom they believe capable of bewitching their
permit such strangers to enter their stables if the
latter do not pronounce a blessing on entering it and if they are afraid
of the evil power of some neighbour, they will, under no circumstance,
lend any article to him or accept anything from him.
Several cases of "bewitched cattle" and "blue milk" are known to
suspicious of strangers,

cattle.

They

will not

;

me personally,

of which I will mention the following as an example
"
"
a farm-house not far from Munich the milk became one day blue ;
became
to
it
after having been deposited hi the usual place
darken,
began
lightly blue, and that colour after a while deepened into an almost inky
darkness, while the layer of cream exhibited zigzag lines, and soon the
whole mass began to putrefy and to emit a horrible odour. This occurred
again and again every day, and the farmer was in despair. Everything
was attempted to find out the cause of the trouble ; the stable was
:

At

thoroughly cleaned, the place where the milk was kept was changed, a
different food was given to the cattle, and samples of the milk were sent to
Munich to be examined by chemists ; the old milk-pots were replaced by

new

ones, &c., but nothing produced a change in the existing state of

affairs.

At last my sister, the Countess S
resided in the neighbour, who
hood, hearing of these things, went to that farm-house to investigate the
matter. She took with her a clean, new bottle, and filled it with the
milk as it came from the bewitched cows. This milk she took home with
her and deposited it in her own pantry, and from that day the trouble in
the house of her neighbour ceased, and all the milk in her own house
became blue.
Here again everything was tried to find ont the cause, but without any
success, until, about three months afterwards, some old lady living about
300 miles distant effected another spell by her own occult powers, using
some slips of paper, on which she wrote something, and in
consequence of
which the trouble ceased.

Before it ceased, however, something strange
Before daybreak, as the milkmaid was about to enter the
stable, some black thing like an animal rushed out of the half-opened
door, knocked the milk-pail and the lantern out of her hands, and disAfter this all went well again.
appeared.
On another occasion, in a similar case which took
in the name

happened.

place

MAGIC AND SORCERY

155

structions in sorcery, or enable the wicked to use the
"
knowledge obtained for the purpose of injuring others

(De Pestilitate).
"It is very desirable that some good and wise men,
well versed in the secret arts, should be appointed by
the authorities to counteract and prevent the evils produced by the wicked who practise witchcraft and sorcery,

and they should pay particular attention to convents,
monasteries, and houses of prostitution, because in snch
places a lascivious and evil imagination is especially cultivated, and great quantities of sperma are there collected
by evil spirits, and that sperma contains a powerful
Mumia, which can be extracted, and transformed into
evil things ; or it may decompose and become a strong
poison, furnishing life to innumerable invisible (micro-

by which epidemics and plagues will
One witch may poison another by such

scopic) existences,

be cansed.

means, and the familiar spirits of witches often steal
sperma from persons who are addicted to bad habits and
use
"

it for evil

purposes."

An

especially powerful poison that may be used in
sorcery is the menstrual blood.
"If a woman exposes a cloth impregnated with the

menstrual blood to the rays of the new moon at night,
and to the rays of the sun during the day, a powerful
c
basilisk is created, because it attracts the magnes salis.'
This invisible poison can give rise to many and various
'
menstruum mundi,'
diseases, because the moon is the
and exercises a very evil influence. Gold attracts mercury and amalgamates with it, and likewise the sun
neighbourhood, the owner of the bewitched cattle was advised to take
a sample of the milk from each cow, to mix them in a pan, to boil it over
a slow fire, and to whip it with a rod while it was boiling down, and to
throw the rest away. This advice he followed, and on the next day a
person of ill repute was met, having his face covered with bloody streaks,
as if they had been inflicted with a rod. This man could give no satisfactory account of the origin of his marks, and it is supposed that he was
the punished sorcerer. The trouble then ceased. These examples go to
corroborate what Paracelsus says about the Mumia

PARACELSUS

156
attracts the

'mercurium menstrui mutterum*

The moon

exerts a certain evil influence periodically every month,
and the 'menstruum mulierum' is renewed periodically

every month, and during such periods there is an especially strong sympathy between them."
" Women should know such
things and pay attention
to them, else they may run great danger. It is a known

during the time of a plague many more women
die than men.
It is also known that women who, on
fact that

account of their age, have lost the power to menstruate,
are more powerful than others to effect evil spells and
1
sorceries, and to injure men and animals.

"If you take turpentine and distil it, the spirit of
turpentine will go away and the rosin remain ; and if
you mix the rosin again with the spirit, you will have
In a similar
your turpentine again as it was before.
human
an
the
blood
contains
airy, fiery spirit, and
way
this spirit has its centre in the heart, where it is most
condensed, and from which it radiates, and the radiating

Thus the world has
rays return to the heart.
spirit prevading the atmosphere, and its centre

its fiery
is called

the sun, and the influences radiating from the sun return
to that centre.
The sun radiates heat and attracts the

vapours of the earth, and likewise the heart of man
attracts the 'humidum menstrui,' which is a poisonous

The
planetary exhalation of the Microcosm of woman.
'
'
spiritus mt(B cerebri of an insane person is attracted towards the moon in the same manner as the needle of the
compass

is

attracted towards the Pole, and such a person
especially at the time of the new moon,

will therefore
1

This was a common belief during the Middle Ages, and many a poor
has been burned to death for having been suspected of being
a witch This, however, does not invalidate the statements of Paracelsus.
In women, on the whole, the will is more active than in men, and
they
are less liable to exercise self-control
woman having become disappointed in love and embittered with the world becomes a suitable instrument for the powers of evil to act
Woman is
through her organism.
more powerful for good and for evil than males, because she
represents
will and substance, and man
only the imagination.
old

woman

A

MAGIC AND SORCERY
when

157

is the strongest
grow worse, and
and likewise the sensitive spirit (aura)
of a man who is weak and offers no resistance will be
attracted towards the moon and be poisoned by its evil

that attraction

begin to rave

;

influence."

"The

witches and evil

spirits,

moreover, use certain

and poisonous elements, taken from spiders,
and other villainous creatures, and use them in

invisible

toads,

combination with the menstrual blood for evil purposes ;
but it is not advisable to publish the secret how this is

"We will, however, say that sometimes they make
an image of a person in wax, and tie a rag, soiled with
the menstrual blood, around it, and add the Mumia of
the carcass of some animal
preferring one of an animal
that has died of an ulcer
and by using their evil
throw
the
evil
spell upon the person
imagination they
whom the image represents, and in this manner they
1
poison his blood and cause him to die."
"They sometimes take a mirror set in a wooden
frame, and put it into a tub of water, so that it will
swim on the top with its face directed towards the sky.
On the top of the mirror, and encircling the glass, they
ehdem, and thus they
lay a wreath of Sinechrusmontes
expose it to the influence of the new moon; and this
evil influence is thrown towards the moon, and, radiating
again from the moon, it will bring evil to those who love
to look at the moon.
The rays of the moon, passing
through that ring upon the mirror, become poisoned,
and poison the mirror ; and the mirror throws back the
poisoned ether into the atmosphere, and the moon and
the mirror poison each other in the same manner as two
done.

malicious persons, by looking at each other, poison each
If a mirror is strongly
other's souls with their eyes.
takes good care of
in
this
the
witch
manner,
poisoned
it;

and

if

she desires to injure some one, she takes

1
Poisonous and malicious animals are forms of life in which
quality of the poisoned will in Nature has become manifest.

an

evil

PARACELSUS

15 8

a waxen image made in his name, she surrounds it
with a cloth spotted with the menstrual blood, and
throws the reflex of the mirror through the opening
in the middle of the head of the figure, or upon
some other part of his body, using at the same time
her evil imagination and curses; and the man whom
the image represents will then have his vitality dried
up and his blood poisoned by that evil influence, and

become diseased, and his body covered with boils.
Such is the pestis particularis,' which may be known
'

if it

affects

a

man who

has not been near any other

persons or places from which he might have caught the
disease."

"

But if a witch desires to poison a man with her eyes,
she will go to a place where she expects to meet him.
When he approaches she will look into the poisoned
mirror, and then, after hiding the mirror, look into his
and the influence of the poison passes from the
mirror into her eyes, and from her eyes into the eyes
of that person; but the witch cures her own eyes by
eyes,

making a fire and staring into it, and then taking the
menstrual cloth, and, after tying it around a stone,
After the cloth is burned
throwing it into the fire.
she extinguishes the
be cured ; but

will

(De
"

fire

with her urine, and her eyes

her enemy

will

become blind

"

Pestttitate).

There

are, furthermore, certain substances used by
witches and sorcerers which they give to other persons

and by which they render those
and such an insanity manifests itself in
various ways.
Sometimes it renders men or women
amorous, or it makes them quarrelsome ; it causes them
to be very courageous and
daring, or turns them into
in their food or drink,

persons insane,

cowards. Some will fall deeply in love with the
person who
administered to them such philtres ; and it has
happened
that in this way masters and mistresses have fallen
deeply
in love with the servants who administered to them such

MAGIC AND SORCERY

150

things, and thus they became themselves the servants of
their own servants.
Even horses, dogs, and other animals

have thns been brought under the influence of such spells.
If women administer such things to men, the latter may
fall so deeply in love with the former as to be unable to
think of anything else but of them ; and if men administer such things to women, they will continually think
"
them (De Morbis Amentium).
" But the
things which such persons use for such
purposes are nothing else but substances that have long
of

been in contact with their own bodies, and which contain a part of their own vitality.
Women are
successful in such experiments, because they are

more
more
impulsive, more implacable in their revenge, and more inclined to envy and hate.
If they are fully absorbed by

own

imagination, they call into existence an active
that
moves their imagination wherever they may
spirit
wood-carver takes a piece of wood
desire it to go.

their

A

and carves out of

it

whatever he has in his mind, and

likewise the imagination can create something out of
the essence of life.
The Mumia is the vehicle of which

the imagination makes use for the purpose of taking
some form.1 It is lifted up and expanded by the power
of faith,

and

it

contracts and penetrates the

mind by

Women have a greater
being impressed by the wilL
power of imagination during their dreams and when they
are alone and they ought, therefore, not to be left alone
a great deal, but ought to be amused, because if they are
;

ill-disposed and harbouring evil thoughts, they may, by
the power of their imagination, poison the food which
they cook, or make it impure, without being themselves
aware of it. Women who are occupied a great deal with

an

evil imagination,

and who are unable

to control

it,

The more the physical body is active, the more will it need material
The more the astral body is active, the more will it attract nutriment from the astral plane. The more divine love is active in man, the
1

food.

more

will his soul receive of the substance of Christ.

states has

its

own

functions and qualities.

Each

of these three

PARACELSUS

160

should not be permitted to nurse and educate infants,
because the impressions which their imagination creates
unconsciously impresses itself and acts injuriously upon
The imagination is the
the minds of the children.
cause that beings have been created out of the 'Mumia
1

which possesses great powers" (Fragment:
De Virtute Imaginations)
"
By the power of the imagination foreign bodies are
spiritualis'

.

transferred invisibly into the bodies of human beings, in
the same manner as if I take a stone in my hand and

put it into a tub of water, and, withdrawing my hand,
I leave the stone in the water.
Menstruating witches

may dissolve (dematerialise) bodies by the
of
their
power
They make a figure of
imagination.
wax representing the person whom they wish to injure,
especially

and they tie a cloth spotted with menstrual blood around
the neck of that figure, and attach it there by means of
a string drawn through the pulpy mass of a crushed

They then take a bow and an arrow made of a
kind of wood ; they tie pieces of glass, or nails,
or bristles, or anything else, to that arrow, and shoot it
into the waxen image ; and in this way the articles disspider.
certain

solved by their imagination are by the power of the
transmitted into the body of the sensitive person,
and there they will be found in a corporeal form " (De

Mumia
Sagis).

"The power
medicine.

of the imagination

It produces diseases in

is

a great factor in
in animals,

man and

i
According to Paracelsus, the characteristic signs by which witches
can be known, or which justify the suspicion of a person being a witch,

are as follows
1.

2.

:

They avoid the company of men and lead solitary lives.
They especially venerate certain days, such as Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday.

3.

They avoid sexual
They often have

intercourse.

special marks, such as certain deformities and
physiognomical characteristics.
5. They practise certain ceremonies, and seek to associate with th>se
4.

who

practise such arts.

MAGIC AND SORCERY
and

But

cures them.

161

not done by the powers
wax or being written
on paper, but by an imagination which perfects the will.
All the imagination of man comes from the heart
The
heart is the seed of the Microcosm, and from that seed
it

of symbols or characters

this is

made

in

'

'

the imagination proceeds into the Macrocosm.
Thus the
imagination of man is a seed that becomes materialised

A

or corporeal.
thought is an act having an object in
I need not turn my eye with my hand in the
view.
direction in which I desire to see, but

my imagination
An imagination coming
wherever I want it.
from a pure and intense desire of the heart acts instincThe power of a
tively and without any conscious effort.
another
directed
can kill or cure
strong imagination
upon
turns

it

him according

to the nature of the desire that impels

the force, and which may be good or evil.
Therefore
a curse will become productive of evil, and a blessing
l
productive of good, if it comes from the heart."

"The curse of the oppressed poor is nothing but
an imagination but that imagination is firm, and not
a wavering and uncertain thing.
It is penetrated by
and followed with an earnest desire that the object of
their wish shall be accomplished, and that which men
desire in cursing enters into their imagination, and from
The evil elements
the imagination results the act.
in the soul of him who acted evil attract unto them;

selves the evil will set free

has been injured

;

by the curse of him who
a magnet, attract-

for the soul is like

ing unconsciously that which corresponds to

its

nature

"

(fragm.).
is

"Magic is
commonly

great hidden wisdom, just as that which
called

human wisdom

is

To

great folly.

use wisdom, no external ceremonies and conjurations
1 The weak-minded
people of our present civilisation know nothing
about an imagination that comes from the heart They live entirely in
their brains, in moonshine and fancy. What Paracelsus calls the imagina'<
doctrine of the heart,"
tion of the heart, and H. P. Blavatsky the
self-conscious will enlightened by intelligence.

is

the

PARACELSUS

162

are required.
of incense are

only evil

The making of

and the burning

circles

tomfoolery an$ temptation, by which
are attracted. /The human heart is a

all

spirits

no 'one can fully express its
great thing, so great that
is imperishable and eternal, like God.
It
greatness. ^
If we only knew all the powers of the human heart,

The imagination
faith, and each doubt
labour. /Faith must confirm
The reason
perfects the will.

nothing would be impossible for
is fortified and perfected through

us.

destroys the effect of its
the imagination, because it
why men have not a perfect imagination is because they
are still uncertain about their power, but they might

be perfectly certain

if

they only possessed true know-

ledge."

"If the imagination of a man acting upon another
cannot always accomplish what he desires, it is because
it is too weak to penetrate the armour of the soul of
that other person, and a weak imagination has no effect
if the latter is protected by a
faith
and
and each one may strengthen
;
resisting
strong
his own faith and make his soul invulnerable by believ-

upon another person,

"

l
ing in the supreme power of Good
\~" Those who are strong in their

(J)e Peste., lib. i.).
faith,

confidence that the divine power in

and

full

of

man

can protect
him against all evil influences, whether they come from
an incarnated or a disincarnated entity, cannot be harmed
by either.^ But if a weak person is obsessed by such
an evil influence and is unable to drive it out, then
is necessary that some other person who
possesses
that spiritual power should drive it out in his place.
it

1 Fear makes a
person negative and liable to be infected. During the
time of epidemic diseases, those who are not afraid of being infected are
the least liable to become their victims. He who is confident that he
cannot be affected by sorceries is not liable to become their victim.

"

He who

God (in

fears thinks of nothing but eviL

He

has no confidence in

himself) ; he only imagines diseases and death, and thus he creates
diseases in his imagination, and
ultimately makes himself sick" (De
PestMtate, ii.).

MAGIC AND SORCERY

A

worm may grow

163

in a hazel-nut although the shell of

whole, and there is no place where the worm
could have entered.
Thus an evil spirit enters into the

the nut

is

body of a man and, produces some disease without making
a hole into him.
/If the mind is weak and the soul not
protected by faith and confidence, it will enter; and

remedy is a strong mind, illuminated
wisdom coming from God."
Ills of the body may be cured by physical remedies
^-'"
or by the power of the spirit acting through the soul.
Ills of the soul are cured by the power of the spirit,
but to do this requires more than mere lip prayer and
gibberish and idle ceremonies ; it needs the consciousness
therefore the best

by the

interior light of

of the spirit that it can accomplish that which it desires
paternoster is useless if the lips speak it

to do.

/A

while 'The heart desires
like a

evil.

He who

is

dressed

up

therefore not necessarily a spiritual
person, although he may have been ordained by the
Church.
To be ordained by man does not imply the

clergyman

is

possession of spiritual power, because such a power
can only be given by the spirit; he who possesses the

power to cure diseases and to drive out evil influences
by the power of the spirit is ordained by God. The
others are quacks and maleficants, in spite of their superstitious beliefs, their illusory science, diplomas, and man"
made authority (De Sanctorum eneficiis).
"God looks at the heart and not at the ceremony.
All fasting and praying done by hypocrites for the
purpose of showing off their piety is the work of the
All blessings and benedictions with
devil in them.
'holy water/ &c., are things which the devil has invented to make men believe that they could dispense
with God and find their salvation in ceremonies. ^jSt^
Peter is not superior to God, neither can the spirits
in man do anything but what the Lord in him permits
All good things should be sought for
them to do.
in God, and not in the spirits or saints;

neither in

PARACELSUS

164

If we give the true faith out of
be without it; if God departs from
the soul, then will the evil spirits therein have free

angels nor devils.

our hand we

will

"

play

(Jforb. Inns.).

the
modern "
If

would

followers

the

Christian

Church

or

the

"

theosophists were to realise these truths, they
cease to kneel before external Christs or run

after strange

know

of

"

ilahatmas," and every one would try to
"
'*
Mahatrna within himself.

the Christ or

VII.

MEDICINE

"Those who imagine that the medicine

of

Pwanelsus

is

a system of

superstitions which we have fortunately outgrown, will, if they once
learn to know its principles, be surpiised to find that it is bused on a
superior kind of knowledge which we have not yet attained, but into

which we may hope to grow."

LESSIKG, Paracdsus.

TEE practice of medicine is the art of restoring the sick
to health.
Modern medicine is, to a great extent, looted
and
upon
employed as if it were a system by which man
his cunning and cleverness may cheat Nature out of
her dues and act against the laws of God with impunity,
while, to many persons calling themselves physicians, it

by

merely a method of making money and gratifying
1
their vanity.
Instead of seeking to know the divine
laws in Nature, and to help to restore the divine order
of things, the highest aim of medical science is at present
is

to so poison the body of man and make
by inoculation as to render it "immune,"
which means, to make it incapable of reacting npon the

to find
it

means

pestiferous

a similar poison.
This system correin
that
which
succeeds
in quieting
to
sponds
religion
the voice of conscience by never paying any attention to it.

introduction of

Four hundred years ago Paracelsus spoke the following words to the physicians of his times, and we leave
it to the reader to judge whether or not his words may

He says
deserted
the path indicated
entirely

find just application to-day.

"You have
1

for

:

by

now the scientific world continually engaged in seeking
means by which man may lead an intemperate and immoral life without
Is not even

to the natural consequences thereof *
Are not even
our " doctors " poisoning the imagination of their patients
by frightening them instead of seeking to instil hope and confidence into

becoming subject

now many
their

of

minds ?
165

PARACELSUS

166

Nature, and built up an artificial system, which is fit
for nothing but to swindle the public and to prey upon
Tour safety is due to the fact
the pockets of the sick.
that your gibberish is unintelligible to the public, who
fancy that it must have a meaning, and the consequence
is that no one can come near you without being cheated.

Your

art does not consist in

curing the sick, but in

yourself into the favour of the rich, in swindling
the poor, and in gaining admittance to the kitchens of

worming

You live upon imposture,
the noblemen of the country.
and the aid and abetment of the legal profession enables
you to carry on your impostures, and to evade punishment by the law. You poison the people and ruin their
health you are sworn to use diligence in your art \ but
how could you do so, as you possess no art, and all your
boasted science is nothing but an invention to cheat and
You denounce me because I do not follow
deceive ?
;

your schools; but your schools can teach me nothing
which would be worth knowing.
You belong to the
tribe of snakes, and I expect nothing but poison from

You do not spare the sick: how could I expect
you.
that you would respect me, while I am cutting down
your income by exposing your pretensions and ignorance
to the public?"

This

is

not applicable to the medical profession of
not because that profession has of.
;

our day as a whole
itself risen to a

are

human

higher standard, but because physicians
and humanity as a whole has been

beings,

somewhat improving in morals.
There are, however,
numerous well-intentioned fools in the medical profession, knowing nothing whatever about the real nature
of man, and their mistakes are not less
injurious if
committed in ignorance than if they were intentional.
Moreover, their folly is the more dangerous as it is
1
protected by the authorities of the State.
1

Those who study the

easily find that nothing is

without prejudice will
done in that practice except substituting a

effects of vaccination

MEDICINE

167

There are three kingdoms acting in the constitution
of man, an outer, an inner, and an innermost principle;
namely, the external physical body, the inner (astral)
man, and the innermost centre or soul
Ordinary
physicians know hardly anything about the
external body, nothing about the inner man, the cause
of the emotions, and less than nothing about the soul.
(regular)

Nevertheless, it is the divine spark in the soul which
created and supports the inner man, and the outer form.

which the inner man is outwardly
Man's natural body is produced
but
the
Nature;
power in Nature is God, and God
by
is superior to Nature.
Man's divine spirit is therefore
able to change his nature, and to restore the health of his
physical form through the instrumentality of the soul.
is

the vehicle

in

manifesting himself.

The medicine

of Paracelsus deals not merely with the

external body of man, which belongs to the world of
effects, but more especially with the inner man and with

world of causes, never leaving out of sight the
universal presence of the divine cause of all things.
His medicine is therefore a holy science, and its practice
a sacred mission, such as cannot be understood by those

the

who

are godless; neither can divine power be conferred
by diplomas and academical degrees. A physician who
has no faith, and consequently no spiritual power in him,
can be nothing else but an ignoramus and quack, even
if he had graduated in all the medical colleges in the
world and knew the contents of all the medical books
that were ever written by man.
slowly developing and far more dangerous disease for a more acute and
The reason why this is not generally known is
dangerous one.

less

because the diseases inoculated by vaccination often appear only a long
time after its performance, and their cause is therefore not recognised.
Thus a lifelong suffering from eczema is often the consequence of
vaccination.

As to the celebrated Pasteur cures, it is said that, of all his patients,
ninety-six per cent, have died, while the remaining four were probably not
infected, and would have remained well anyhow.

PARACELSUS

THE VIBTUES or A PHYSICIAN
The object of medical instruction should be to educate
the natural talents of those who are born physicians, so
that
may make use of the experiences gained by
they

and dangerous to make a
medical practitioner out of a person who is not a physiIt is useless

their elders.

cian at heart.

" The
greatest and highest of all qualifications which
a physician should possess is Sapientia
i.e., Wisdom
and without this qualification all his learning will amount
to little or nothing as far as any benefit or usefulness

He

is

in possession of

possession of reason
The
to use it without error or doubt.

and knows how
book of wisdom

to

humanity
wisdom who

is

concerned.

alone

is in

the recognition of the truth, and the truth is God ; for
has caused all things to come into existence,
and who is Himself the eternal fountain of all things,
is

He who

is also

the source of

the truth

all

wisdom and the book in which

to be found without

In and through

error.

find

is

wisdom and to

at

Him

any interpolation or
alone shall we be able to

wisely,

Him

and without

all

our

As the sun shines
learning will be mere foolishness.
upon us from above and causes plants to grow, so the
talents necessary for the exercise of this art, whose germs
exist in the human heart, must be developed in the rays

of the sun of divine wisdom.

We

cannot find wisdom

in books, nor in any external thing ; we can only find it
within ourselves.
Man cannot create day, nor can he
create night ; and he cannot create wisdom, but it must

come

to

him from

above.

it

where

it

He who

seeks

wisdom in the

the true disciple, but he who seeks
does not exist will seek for it in vain."

fountain of wisdom

is

not created, manufactured, or " developed "
by mao, but it becomes manifest in him by its own power,

Wisdom

is

whenever the conditions are favourable^

,

Intellectual

MEDICINE

169

learning is an artificial thing, and may be accumulated
by man's selfish efforts to learn and possess knowledge ;

but wisdom

is

the realisation of truth within the soul,

that comes from an awakening to its realisation.
"
It is said that we should seek first the kingdom of

heaven which is within us, and that everything else
would be added it has also been said that if we only
knock strongly enough the door will be opened, and
we will never ask in vain, provided we ask with, a sincere
heart and not with an adulterous object in view.
A
physician must seek for his knowledge and power within
the divine spirit; if he seeks it in external things he
will be a pseudo-medicus and an ignoramus.
God is
the Great First Cause in and from which all things
came into existence, and all our knowledge should therefore come from God and not from man-made authorities"
;

(LdbyrinthuB Medicoruni).
"A. physician should exercise his

own

art,

not

for

his

but for the sake of the patient. If he
practises merely for his own benefit, such a physician
resembles a wolf, and is even worse tlian an ordinary
benefit,

murderer ; for, while a man may defend himself against
a murderous attack made upon him on the high-road,
he has no means of defence against the murderer who,
under the guise of a benefactor and protected by law,
comes to steal his goods and destroy his life."
"A
physician should be above all honest and true.
Let his speech be 'yes' and no,' and let him avoid
using subterfuges and prevarications; God acts through
him who is upright, honest, and pure, but not through
him who is wicked and false. God is absolute Truth,
and His power does not become manifest in those who
The power of the physician should be
are not true.
c

if it rests upon lies, it will be use;
and belongs to the devil."
If man were made only out of one kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, then would it be sufficient for him to

resting in the truth
less

PARACELSUS

i;o

lead a holy life, to enable him to core all diseases in
himself and in others ; but as he is made of three worlds,
it is necessary that the physician should also have a

other
knowledge of the conditions existing in the two
1
worlds* the world of mind and external Nature.
"

He

should also be well experienced ; for there are
kinds of disease, and they cannot be known withNo one ever knows so
out experience and learning.

many
much

that he could not learn more.

Every art requires

experience. You cannot become a good painter, sculptor,
or shoemaker by the mere reading of books, much less
can you be a good physician without being experienced.
He should know the laws of Nature, but above all the
constitution of man, the invisible no less than the visible

His knowledge will strengthen his faith, and his
endow him with power, so that he will be like
an apostle, healing the sick, the blind, and the halt."
The medicine of Paracelsus therefore rests upon four
a knowledge of
i. Philosophy, i.e.
pillars, which are
one.

faith will

:

9

physical nature; 2. Astronomy, i.e., a knowledge of the
powers of the mind; 3. Alclwmy, i.e. 9 a knowledge of

the divine powers in

man; and

4.

The personal virtue

(holiness) of the physician.

THE FOUR PILLARS OF MEDICINE

A

I.
physician should be a philosopher;
with the laws of external Nature.

"The knowledge

of

Nature

is

i.e.,

acquainted

the foundation of the

science of medicine, and it is taught by the four great
departments of science : Philosophy, Astronomy, Alchemy,
and Physical Science.' These four sciences cover a large
field,

and require a great deal of study.

A

common

'

Life is short, art is long.'
Ever since
the beginning of the world men have
sought for the

proverb says,

1

Here comes

in the

ntellect without

advantage of intellectual education, bat an educated
of truth belongs to the devil.

any self-perception

MEDICINE

171

art to destroy disease, and they have not found it yet;
but to the patient it appears that the medical art is
very short and the acquisition of science very slow,

while his disease

is

doctor has found his

quick,

and does not wait

until the

If a physician is in possession
of true knowledge, then will his art make short work
with the disease, and the life of the patient will be comart.

Art is short, for it requires little time
paratively long.
to apply it when it is once in our possession ; but error
"
is long, and many die before finding the art
(Commentaria in Aphorismas Hippocratis).

"A physician must be a Philosopher; that is to say,
he must dare to use .his own reason and not cling to
He
opinions and book-authorities, be they old or new.
must above all be in possession of that faculty which is
called Intuition, and which cannot be acquired by blindly
following the footsteps of another; he must be able to
see his own way.
There are natural philosophers and
The former have a
there are artificial philosophers.
of
borrowed knowtheir
own
have
the
latter
;
knowledge
from
their
to be a true
wish
If
books.
ledge
you
do
must
be
able
to
physician, you
your own thinking,
and not merely employ the thoughts of others. What
others may teach you may be good enough to assist you
in your search for knowledge, but you should be able
to think for yourself and not cling to the coat-tail of
any authority, no matter how big-sounding the title of
"
the latter may be (De Modo Pharmacandf).
"The wisdom of our sophists and medicasters does
not consist in a knowledge of Nature, but in a knowledge
of what Aristoteles, Galen, Avicenna, and other accepted
authorities have supposed Nature to be ; they only know
the dead body of man, but not the living image presented by Nature; they have become untruthful and
unnatural, and therefore their art is based upon their

own

fancies

science.

and -speculations, which they imagine to be
is a product of Nature, not

The true physician

I7

PARACELSUS

2

If you are
a product of speculation and imagination.
not able to see a thing, it will be useless to try to
to
imagine how it may look; perception enables you
not
is
Wisdom
is
but
blind.
by
given
see,
speculation
Nature, nor does man inherit it from the latter; it is

planted in him by his eternal parent, and grows and

him by practice."
It is not true, as has been asserted

increases iu

by certain modern

objected to the dissecting

writers, that Paracelsus has

and called it useless; what he said is,
that such a practice was unnecessary for those who had
of dead bodies

developed the true inner sight ; just as it is useless for
a man to walk on crutches when he is in perfect health.

He

says

" The

:

anatomy of man

is

twofold.

One aspect

of

it

may be known by

dissecting the body, so as to find out
the position of its bones, muscles, and veins, &c. ; but
this is the least important.
The other is more important,

and means

to introduce a

new

life

into the organism, to

the transmutations taking place therein, to know
what the blood is, and what kind of sulphur, salt,
and mercury (energy, substance, and mind) it contains "
see

(Paramir., i. cap. c.).
"
By the power of wisdom man is enabled to recognise
the unity of the All, and to perceive that the microcosm

of man is the counterpart of the macrocosm of Nature.
There is nothing in heaven or upon the earth which may
not be found in man, and there is nothing in man but

what exists in the macrocosm of Nature. The two are
the same, and differ from each other in nothing but their
forms.
This is a truth which will be perceived by every
true philosopher, but a merely animal intellect will not be
able to see

stand

it.

it, nor would man's fancy enable him to underThat philosophy which is based upon wisdom

upon the recognition of the truth of a thing
true philosophy ; but that which is based
upon fancy
and the idle speculation is uncertain. The former is the
i.e.,

is

MEDICINE

173

true gold ; the latter is merely an imitation which if put
into the fire will leave nothing but sulphur and ashes."

"

He who

wants to know

man must

look upon

him

as a whole and not as a patched-up piece of work.
If
he finds a part of the human body diseased, he must look
for the causes which produce the disease, and not merely
treat the external effects.
ie., the true
Philosophy
is
perception and understanding of cause and effect
the mother of the physician, and explains the origin of

In this understanding rests the indicaand he who is not able to
understand will accomplish nothing; he will go on in
the future laming, crippling, and killing his patients in
Nomine Domini as he did in the past."
"
A physician who knows nothing more about his
patient than what the latter will tell him knows very
little indeed.
He must be able to judge from the exterall his diseases.

tion of the true remedy,

nal appearance of the patient about his internal condition.
He must be able to see the internal in the external man ;

wanted to experiment merely according to his
fancy, the world could not furnish him enough
He
patients to arrive at the end of his experiments.
must have the normal constitution of man present before
his mind and know its abnormal conditions ; he must
know the relations existing between the microcosm of
man and the macrocosm of Nature, and know the little
for if he

own

by the power of his knowledge of the great. We should
rise up to a true realisation of the nature of man and
his position in the universe, and then apply our knowledge according to the teaching of wisdom, and this
kind of study will injure no man ; but those who
experiment with their patients, without knowing the
real constitution of man, are murderers, and may God
protect the sick from

with

its

"

!

Man has
is the physician.
not man
true light of reason, and the animal intellect
speculations and theories has usurped the

"Nature
lost the

them

PARACELSUS

174

Try to enable yourself to follow Nature again,
Learn to know the
will be your instructor.
storehouse of Nature and the boxes in which her virThe ways of Nature are simple, and
tues are stored up.
place.

and she

she does not require any complicated prescriptions."
2. A physician should be an Astronomer; this means
that he should know the heaven (the mental sphere)

wherein

man

lives,

with

all

its

stars (ideas)

and con-

stellations.

A physician

must be an Astronomer,

for

he ought to

know the influences of the seasons, of heat and cold,
of dryness and moisture, of light and darkness, &c.,
upon the organism of man. There is a time for everyat one time may be evil
a time for rain and a time when
the roses are blooming, and it is not sufficient that a
physician should be able to judge about to-day, he should

thing, and
at another.

what may be good
There

is

know what to-morrow

will bring.
Time is man's
and
with
a mouse,
with
him
as
the
cat
master,
plays
and no one knows the future but God. A physician
should, therefore, not depend too much on the accomplishments of the animal intellect in his brain, but he
should listen to the divine voice which speaks in his heart,
and learn to understand it He should have that knowledge which cannot be acquired by reading in books, but
which is a gift of divine wisdom. He should be married
to his art as a man is married to his wife, and he should
love her with all his heart and mind for her own sake,
and not for the purpose of making money or to satisfy
his ambition.
If he loves his art, his art will be true to
him ; but if he sticks to it only for mercenary purposes,
or if he merely imitates the art of another, it will be an
adulterous alliance, and no good will be the result. True
marriage is not a mere binding together of two forms, but
it is an union of the soul.
Tho physician who is not

also

married to his art with his soul is a quack, an
adulterer,
"
and an impostor (Comm. in Aphor.
Hvppocr.).

MEDICINE
Man's body

is itself

175

a product of mind, and

its

condi-

tion depends to a great extent on the state of his mind.
All his diseases, in so far as they are not directly due to

external mechanical causes, are due to mental conditions.
"
Philosophy (anatomy) deals with the visible material

part of man's constitution

;

but there

is

a vastly greater

man which is ethereal and invisible. As the
terrestrial body of man is intimately related to his terrespart of
trial

with

surroundings, likewise his astral body is in relation
all the influences of the astral world ; and that part

of philosophy dealing with these astral influences is called

astronomy.'
"

Astronomy

is

the upper part of philosophy by which
may become known. Philo-

the whole of the microcosm

sophy deals with the elements of earth and water, belonging to man's constitution.
Astronomy deals with his air
and fire (the mind). There is a heaven and earth in man
as there is in the macrocosm, and in that heaven there
are all the celestial influences, whose visible representations we see in the sky, such as the planets and stars,
the Milky Way, the Zodiac, &c., neither more nor less for
the microcosm is an exact counterpart of the macrocosm
;

in every respect except its external form/'
"
The terrestrial part of man is a child of the earth,
and the astral man is a child of the astral world, and as
the two worlds are intimately connected with each other,

the physician should be acquainted with the influences of
the astral as well as with those of the terrestrial world.

Man's diseases do not originate in himself they originate
from the influences which act upon him and enter his
The astral influences are invisible, but
constitution.
they act upon man, unless he knows how to protect himHeat and light are intangible and
self against them.
incorporeal; nevertheless, they act upon man, and the
same takes place with other invisible influences. If the
air becomes vitiated, it will poison man's body ; if the
astral influences are in a state of corruption, they will do
;

his constitution, but merely his external corporeal form."
"The things which we see are not the active prin-

them ; the visible
ciples, but merely the corpus containing
forms are merely external expressions of invisible prinForms are, so to say, the vehicles of powers, ajad
ciples.
The invisible air and
they may be visible or invisible.
the ether of space, or a perfectly clear and, therefore,
invisible crystal, are just as much corporeal as the solid
earth, a piece of wood, or a rock.

poreal things has

Each of these cor-

own particular life and inhabitants
we walk about in the air, although

its

(micro-organisms);
the air is corporeal

fishes swim about in the water, and
;
the yolk of an egg rests in the albumen without sinking
The yolk represents the
to the bottom of the shell.
and
white
the
Earth,
represents the invisible surround-

ings of the Earth, and the invisible part acts
visible one, but only the philosopher perceives

upon the

the way in

which that action takes place."
"

All the influences of the terrestrial and the astral

world converge upon man, but

how can

a physician

recognise the manner in which they act and prevent or
cure the diseases which are caused by that action, if

he is not acquainted with the influences existing in
the astral plane?
The star-gazer knows only the external visible heaven; but the true astronomer knows

two heavens, the external
visible one.

There

is

visible

and the internal

in-

not a single invisible power in

1
Recent experiments go to prove that sensation may be externalised.
Thus, for instance, a man may surround himself with an invisible shell or
aura by projecting his own odic emanations to a certain distance from his
body; so that, while his body becomes insensible to pain, the pain will be
felt when the aura around him is touched.
This goes to show that sensation exists in the odic aura (Prana), and not in the physical form.
(Cornpare E. Da Prel, Die fympathetiscTie Kurmefhodt.}

MEDICINE

177

heaven which does not find its corresponding principle
in the inner heaven of man; the above acts upon the
below, and the latter reacts upon the former."
3. The physician ought to be an Alchemist; that
is to say, he ought to be regenerated in the spirit of
Jesus Christ and know his own divine powers.
"He should be an Alchemist; that is to say, he
should understand the Chemistry of Life.
Medicine is
not merely a science, but an art; it does not consist
merely in compounding pills and plasters and drugs of
all kinds, but it deals with the processes of life, which
must be understood before they can be guided. All
art, all wisdom, all power, acts from one centre towards the periphery of the circle, and whatever is enclosed within that circle may be regarded as medicine.
A powerful will can cure where doubt will end in
failure.
The character of the physician acts more powerfully upon the patient than all the drugs employed.
A carpenter or a mason will fail to make perfect work
without compass and square, and a physician without
religion and firmness will be a failure.
Alchemy i.e.,
the employment of a strong will, benevolence, charity,
is, therefore, the principal corner-stone in
patience, &c.
the practice of medicine."

"The

psychical surroundings of the patient have a
influence
upon the course of his disease. If he
great
is waited upon by persons who are in sympathy with

him,

it

will

be

far better for

him than

his attendants wish for his death.

if

his wife or

In a case of sickness,

the patient, the physician, and the attendants should be,
so to say, all one heart and one soul, and they should
always keep in mind the doctrine of Christ, which
says:

"Thou

shalt

(Comm. in Aph.
1

We

love

1
thy neighbour as thyself"

Hippocr.).

We

should sympathise with the patient, but not with his disease.
should not confirm him in his morbid fancies, or encourage him

in believing himself sick.

The majority

of sick people lack the energy

K

PARACELSUS

i;8

in physical
physician should be well versed
should know the action of medicines, and

"The
science.

He

learn by ids
others.

He

own experience and by the experience of
should know how to regulate the diet of

the patient, and neither overfeed nor starve him.
know the ordinary course of disease, and

should

premonitory symptoms;

for a

disease

is

like

a plant,
out

which may grow to a big tree if it is not rooted
A child can cut down an old
while it is young.
when it first conies out of an acorn, but in time it
require a strong man and an axe to cut it down.
"
A physician should be learned, and profit by
experience of others, but blessed is he who knows

He
living medicine and how to obtain it.
there are innumerable remedies in Nature,

He
the

oak
will

the

the

knows that
which are

the Magnalia Dei
ie., the mysteries of God, hidden
from the eyes of the vulgar, but opened to the spiritual
"l
perception of the wise
(Comm.).
4.

The physician must have a natural

his occupation.
"

He who

can cure disease

is

qualification for

a physician.

To cure

an art which cannot be acquired by the mere
of
books, but which must be learned by exreading
Neither
perience.
emperors nor popes, neither colleges
nor high schools, can create physicians. They can confer
privileges and cause a person who is not a physician
to appear as if he were one, but they cannot cause
him to be what he is not; they can give him permission to kill, but they cannot enable him to cure
the sick, if he has not already been ordained by God.
diseases is

Theory should precede practice; but if it consists in
mere suppositions and assumptions, and is not confirmed

by

practical works, such a theory is worthless

and ought

In such oases we should show them
necessary to cure themselves.
energy instead of a helpless commiseration.
i Modern
medicine, with its "hypnotism," and "suggestion," seems
to be about to learn the first letters of the
alphabet of the system of
Paracelsus.

MEDICINE
to

be abandoned.

on

his books

i.e.,

The pseudo-physician

is

based on his

known the art of the true physiown knowledge and ability, and is
;

supported by the four

pillars of

Astronomy, Alchemy, and Virtue
"

also

A

physician

bases his art

on that which he believes the authors

of those books to have

cian

179

who

is

medicine
"

true to his

Philosophy,

(Paragranum).

own higher

self will

have faith in himself, and he who has that faith

A

will easily command the faith of the people.
preacher
who utters moral sermons, but does not observe his own

doctrines, will not command respect ; he will nghtly be
even if they are true
despised and bring his doctrines
into discredit; likewise a physician who is seen to be
untruthful, wavering, and ignorant will lose the confidence of the public.
The art of medicine should be

based on truth

;

it is

a divine art which should not be

A

physician who deserves
the confidence of the people will be trusted by God,
for it is the Spirit of God that guides the hearts of
prostituted for base purposes.

mankind."
"I
praise the spagyric physicians (the alchemists), for
do
not go about idling and putting on airs, being
they
dressed in velvets and silks, having golden rings on
their fingers and their hands in white gloves ; but they
are daily and nightly patiently engaged in their work
with the fire and seeking their pastime within their own
They do not talk much or praise
laboratory (the mind).
their medicines; for they know that the work must
praise the master, and not the master the work" (De
Separat. Ber.).
All arts originate in divine wisdom, and no

man

ever

Man cannot
invented anything through his own power.
accomplish even the most trifling thing without the
power of the Will; but the will of man is not his
product and does not belong to him ; it belongs to God,
and has merely been lent to man ; he is permitted to
All
use it, and abtises it on account of his ignorance.

PARACELSUS

i8o

as well as the evil
things come from" God, the good
His
direct products,
are
former
while
the
but
ones;
and in harmony with the Law, the latter are, so to

have become degenerated ;
who put their trust in

say, His grandchildren which
Those
for evil is good perverted.

God

power of Goodness, Wisdom,
but those who,
;
while they pretend to serve God, serve merely themselves, are the children of evil, and will perish with it."
that

is

to say, in the

Justice, and Truth

"

One

will surely succeed

of the most necessary requirements for a

phy-

He

sician is perfect purity and singleness of purpose.
should be free of ambition, vanity, envy, unchastity,

pomposity, and self-conceit, because these vices are the
outcome of ignorance and incompatible with the light of
divine

wisdom which should illumine the mind of the

true physician; but our practitioners of medicine will
not believe me when I say that it is necessary that a
physician to be successful should be virtuous; because

they imagine that success is due only to learning, and
they cannot realise that all true wisdom and power is
derived from God."

"There is a knowledge which is derived from man,
and another one which is derived from God through
There are artificially made phyand there are born physicians. The latter possess
their talent from birth, and it may be unfolded and grow
the light of Nature.
sicians

like a tree if it is properly nursed.
He who has no
natural talent to be a physician will never succeed.
He
who is not a physician in the spring of his life will not

be one in the

fall."

"A

physician should be faithful and charitable; he
should have full and perfect faith, a faith which is not

Faith and Charity are essentially identical;
they both spring from God, and God is one and cannot
be divided. The faith of a physician is not manifested
divided.

by making many
to recognise

visits to his patient,

and treat the

disease.

bat by his ability

He

should give to

MEDICINE
Ms

181

patient his utmost attention, he should identify himand soul with him, and this cannot be done

self heart

without charity and benevolence.
He who loves only
himself and his own profit will be of little benefit to
the sick, for he will neglect the patient.
To recognise
the disease of the latter and to be able to benefit him,
entire harmony should exist between the physician and
the patient; a physician who loves his art for its own

sake will also be charitable towards the sick" (Origin

of Diseases).

THE ARCHJEUS
All organic functions are caused by the activity of
Life.
This principle acts in

one universal principle of

the members of the body, either slow or quick, perceptible or imperceptible, consciously or unconsciously,
normal or abnormal, according to the constitution of the
all

organs in which

it is active.

As

long as the character

(the spirit) of an entity is preserved, it acts in that
entity as a whole ; if ihe form is broken up and loses
its character, it

manifests

which

in a

itself

in other forms

;

the

life

man

during his lifetime in causing
the organic functions of his body, will manifest its activity
in creating worms in his body after the spirit has left
is active

the form.

The

spirit is

the centre which attracts the

principle of life ; if the spirit has left the form,
be attracted to other centres.

life

will

If the activity of the life-principle takes place in a

form in an harmonious and regular manner, unimpeded by
any obstacles, such a state is called health. If its activity
is impeded by some cause, and if it acts abnormally or
"
disease."
irregularly, such a state is called
This principle of life is called by Paracelsus, Archesus.
It is not a material substance, in the usual acceptation
of that term, but a spiritual essence, everywhere present
and invisible. It causes or cures disease according to

PARACELSUS

i8 2

the conditions under which
or

in, pure,

it

acts,

as

healthy

may

it

other

or

be pure

influences.

poisoned, by
attracts it from its surroundings

The animal organism

and from the nutriments which enter into its form;
"The Archeeus,
assimilates it, and loses it again.
The
or Liquor Vitse, constitutes the invisible man.
invisible man is hidden in the visible one, and is formed
in the shape of the outer one as long as it remains
it

The inner man

in that outer one.

so to say, the
It is

is,

shadow or the counterpart of the material body.
ethereal in

its

nature,

still it is

substance

it

;

directs the

growth and the formation and dissolution of the form in
which it is contained it is the noblest part in physical
man. As a man's picture is reflected in a mirror, so
the form of the physical man is reflected in the invisible
;

l

body"

(De Generatione Hominis).
is an essence that

"The Archasus

is

equally distri-

buted in all parts of the human body, if the latter is
in a healthy condition ; it is the invisible nutriment

from which the
ot

strength, and the
parts correspond to the nature
that
contain it.
The Spiritus
parts

visible

each of

qualities
of the physical

body draws

its

its

Vitas takes its origin from the Spiritus Mundi.
Being
an emanation of the latter, it contains the elements of
all
cosmic influences, and is therefore the cause by
which the action of the stars (cosmic forces) upon the
invisible body of man may be explained" (De Viribus

"

The ArchaBus

is

of a magnetic nature, and attracts
or antipathetic forces be-

or repels other sympathetic
longing to the same plane.

The

power of resistance
possesses, the more will
he be subject to such influences. The vital force is
not enclosed in man, but radiates around him like a
luminous sphere, and it can be made to act at a disIn those semi-material rays the imagination of
tance.
for astral influences

1

It

is

the

less

a person

Pranamaya

of Sankaracharya.

MEDICINE

183

man produces healthy or morbid effects. It will poison
the essence of life and cause diseases, or strengthen and
purify it after it has been made impure, and restore the
health."

"All diseases, except such as come from mechanical
causes, have an invisible origin, and of such sources

Men who are
popular medicine knows very little.
devoid of the power of spiritual perception are unable
to recognise the existence of anything that cannot be

seen externally.
Popular medicine knows, therefore, next
to nothing about any diseases that are not caused by

mechanical means, 1 and the science of curing internal
diseases consists almost entirely in the removal of causes
that have produced some mechanical obstruction.
But
the number of diseases that originate from some un-

known

causes is far greater than those that come from
mechanical causes, and for such diseases our physicians
know no cure, because, not knowing such causes, they
cannot remove them.
All they can prudently do is to

observe the patient and make their guesses about his
condition ; and the patient may rest satisfied if the
medicines administered to him do him no serious harm,

and do not prevent

his recovery.
The best of our
are
that
the least harm.
the
ones
do
popular physicians

But, unfortunately, some poison their patients with
mercury; others purge them or bleed them to death.
There are some who have learned so much that their
learning has driven ont all their common sense, and
there are others who care a great deal more for their

own

profit

than for the health of their patients.

A

disease does not change its state to accommodate itself
to the knowledge of the physician, but the physician
should understand the causes of the disease.
phy-

A

sician should be a servant of Nature, and not her enemy;
he should be able to guide and direct her in her struggle
1

Such as are caused by overloading the stomach with

tion of the bowels, obstructions, &c.

food, constipa-

PARACELSUS

i3 4

for

life,

and not throw,

his

by

ference, fresh

obstacles in the

grannm).
"
Medicine

is

way

mnch more an

unreasonable
of recovery

inter-

"

(Para-

art than a science

;

to

know

the experience of others may be useful to a physician, but all the learning in the world could not make

a

man

a physician, unless he has the necessary talents,

If we
and is destined by Nature to be a physician.
want to learn to know the inner man by studying only
the appearance of the exterior man, we will never come

to an end, because each man's constitution difiers in
If a physician
some respect from that of another.
his
knows nothing more about
patient than what the
latter tells him, he knows very little indeed, because
the patient usually knows only that he suffers pain.
Nature causes and cures disease, and it is therefore

necessary that the physician should know the processes
He
of Nature, the invisible as well as the visible man.
will then be able to recognise the cause and the course

of a disease, and he will know much more by using his
own reason than by all that the looks or the patient

may

tell

him.

may be acquired by
" l
(Paragiven by God

Medical science

learning, but medical wisdom

is

granum).
"

Natural

man

has no wisdom, but the wisdom of

God may

act through him as an instrument.
God is
greater than Nature, for Nature is His product; and
the beginning of wisdom in man is therefore the be-

The kind of knowginning of bis supernatural power.
ledge that man ought to possess is not derived from
the earth, nor does it come from the stars; but it is
derived from the Highest, and therefore the man who
possesses the Highest may rule over the things of the
There is a great difference
earth, and over the stars.

between the power that removes the invisible causes of
1
This mode of reasoning Is as applicable to the state of medical science
to-day as it was at the time of Paracelsus.

MEDICINE
and which

disease,

185

Magic, and

is

that

which

causes

merely external effects to disappear, and which is Physic,
Sorcery, and Quackery."

1

THE
The Archaeus

is

the essence of

in which this essence
vehicle, is called

its

MUMU
but the principle

life,

contained, and which serves as
In the Muniia is great
Mumia.
is

*'

power, and the cures that have been performed by the
use of the Mumia are natural, although they are very
little understood by the vulgar, because they are the
results of the action of invisible things, and that which
does not exist for the comprehension of the

is invisible

ignorant They therefore look upon such cures as having
been produced by the black art/ or by the help of the
devil, while in fact they are but natural, and have a
natural cause ; and even if the devil had caused them,
the devil can have no power except that which is given
to him by God, and so it would be the power of God
'

after all."

"

2

a twofold power active in man
an invisibly
and a visibly acting mechanical
The visible body has its natural forces, and the

There

is

acting or vital power,
force.

invisible

body has

its

natural forces, and the remedy of

diseases or injuries that may affect the visible form
are contained in the invisible body, because the latter is
all

1
It would be interesting to find out
lifelong evils are caused by vaccination.
poisonous elements, Nature attempts to

how many
remove

it

and
some

chronic diseases

If the organism contains

by an expulsive

effort

caused by the action of the spirit from the centre toward the periphery,
and producing cutaneous diseases. If by vaccination a new herd is established to attract the diseased elements (Mumia), the manifestation of
the poison on the surface of the body may disappear, but the poisonous
elements will remain in the body, and some other more serious disease will
manifest
3

itself

sooner or later.

This invisible Mumia, that may be transferred from one living being to
" animal
another, is nothing else but the vehicle of life, or
magnetism.'

PARACELSUS

186

the seat of the power that infuses life into the former,
and without which the former would be dead and decayIf we separate the vital force from the physical

ing.

form, the body dies and putrefies ; and by impregnating
a dying body with vitality it can be made to live again.
The invisible forces acting in the visible body are often

very powerful, and may be guided by the imagination
and be propelled by the will. As the odour of a lily
passes from the flower into the surrounding air, so the
vital force contained in the invisible body passes into

the visible form and beyond

it.

The physical body has
such as the eyes
all take

the capacity to produce visible organs
and the ears, the tongue and the nose
their origin from the invisible body, of

form

but they

which the external

only the outward representation."
But if the germs and the essences of all the organs
of the physical body are contained in the invisible vehicle
visible
"

of

life,

follows that this invisible microcosmic

it

contains

is

certain

definite

qualities,

which,

if

body

they are

properly understood, may be used for some purpose;
and the cures that have been performed by the use of

Mumia

this

prove that this assertion

The pinks

is true.

are beautiful Sowers so long as they are not separated
from the plant upon which they grow, and the cheli-

donium grows as long

as it can draw its nutriment from
but
if
the
;
pinks are separated from the parent
if
and
roots
the
of the chelidonium are dead, these
stem,
plants, being separated from the source out of which they

the earth

drew

their vitality, will decay.

live is

and

if

The

life

that

made them

not dead, but ifc is departed from the dead form ;
it could be restituted, the form could be made to

live again.

The Mumia, or

and no one sees

vehicle of

life, is

invisible,

depart; but nevertheless it is a
spiritual substance containing the essence of life, and it
can be brought again by art into contact with
dying
it

forms, and revive them, if the vital organs of the body
are not destroyed.
That which constitutes life is con-

MEDICINE

187

tained in the Mumia, and by imparting the

The

Mumia we

body seems to see and to talk,
and yet we do not see the powers that see and talk
through it. Likewise the action of the Mumia upon
the visible body cannot be perceived by the senses
A visible form without
only its effects can be seen.
vitality has no other power but its own weight ; but if
impart

life.

visible

contains the

Mumia, it may perform a great deal.
the arcanum, the ' flower of man/ and
the true elixir of life.
The Mumia acts from one living
it

The Mumia

is

being directly upon another, or it may be connected with
some material and visible vehicle, and be employed in
that shape

"

l

(De Origine Morbor. Invwbilium).

SYMPATHETIC CUBES
"

Man possesses a magnetic power by which he can
attract certain effluvia of a good or evil quality in the
same manner as a magnet will attract particles of iron.

A

magnet may be prepared from iron that will attract
iron, and a magnet may be prepared out of some vital
substance that will attract
called the

vitality.

'

and

Such a magnet

is

magnes
prepared out of
substances that have remained for a time in the human
microcosmi,'

it is

Such substances
body, and are penetrated by its vitality.
If it is
.hair, the excrements, urine, blood, &c.
desirable to use the excrements, they are to be dried in
are the

a shadowy, dry, and moderately warm place until they
have lost their humidity and odour.
By this process all
the Mumia has gone out of them, and they are, so to say,

hungry to

attract vitality again.

If such a

magnet

is

applied to a part of the patient's body, it attracts and
absorbs vitality from that part in the same manner as a
sponge absorbs water, and it will thereby allay the in1

Paracelsus, not Mesmer,

merism.

is

the original discoverer of so-called Mes-

PARACELSUS

188

flammation existing in such a part, because

it attracts

the

superabundance of magnetism carried to that place by
the rush of the blood. The Mumia coming from the

body of a person continues to remain

for

a while in sym-

pathetic relationship (magnetic rapport) with the Mumia
contained in such a person, and they act magnetically
upon each other. If, therefore, the Mumia is extracted

from a diseased part of a person by a microcosmic magnet,
and the magnet mixed with earth, and an herb is planted
into

it,

the

Mumia

in the

magnet

will

be extracted by

that plant, and lose its diseased matter, and react in a
beneficial manner upon the Mumia contained in the body

of the patient ; but it is necessary that the selected plant
should be one which bears the signature of the disease

with which the patient

is

affected, so that it will attract

In this way
from the stars.
specific
diseased elements may be magnetically extracted out
This is called
of a person and inoculated into a plant.
the transplantation of diseases; and diseases may, in a

the

influence

similar manner, be transplanted into animals that are
healthy and strong, or the virus be transferred upon

other persons ; and many practices of sorcery are based
1
In this way diseases can be cured in
upon that fact.
nothing uncommon, especially in Mohammedan countries, to
the road tied together with a string. On opening
them, hair, bloody rags, excrements, <fec. } will be found. Such packages
are laid there by some sick persons or their friends ; they contain the
Mumia of the sick, and it is intended that he who opens the package
should get the disease of the patient, and the latter get well. Occasion"
"
ally such a
magnet is buried under the doorstep of an enemy, so as
to cause him to walk over it and become sick. It is dangerous for sensitive
1

It

is

see packages lying

m

persons to handle such things.

The mode of curing diseases by transplanting the virus into trees has
been used by the successors of Paracelsus, Tentzel, Helraont, Flood,
Maxwell; and others practised them to a great extent, and acquired
great r putations.

"

They

give

Many diseases may be
warm blood of the patient

some

of the following instructions

cured by

way

of sympathy,

:

by employing the

as a magnet for the Mumia. The blood may
be extracted by venesection or cupping, and made to run into lukewarm
water or milk, and this is given to a hungry dog to eat. The process can
be repeated several times, until the patient recovers.

189

one person and caused to appear in another ; love between
two persons of the opposite sex may thus be created, and
magnetic links be established between persons living at
distant places, because there
ciple of

life,

and by

it

all

is

only one universal prin-

beings are sympathetically

connected together."
The plants used

for the transplantation of diseases
bear the signatures of the diseases whose names are
In cases of ulcers and wounds the Mumia may
added.

be planted with Polygonum persicaria, Symphytum offitincdt Botanus ewropeus, &c.
The plant is to be brought
for a while in contact with the ulcer, and then to
As it rots, the ulcer heals. In
be buried in manure.
toothache the gums should be rubbed with the root of
Senedo vulgaris until they bleed, and the root is then
to be replaced into the earth ; or a splinter may be cut
out of a blackthorn or willow after the bark has been
lifted up.
Pick the gums with that splinter until they
bleed, and replace the splinter into the tree and tie the
In menorrhagia
cut in the bark up so that it will heal.
uterina, the Mumia should be taken from the groins and
In menorrhosa diffiplanted with Polygonum persicaria.
In phthisis .pulmonalis
rilis, MentJia pulegium is used
the Mumia may be planted with an orchis in flie vicinity
of an oak or cherry tree, or the Mumia be planted

The (fresh) urine of a patient
directly into such trees.
should be heated in a new pot over a fire, and an egg
boiled in it

When

the egg

is

hard boiled, some holes

should be made into the egg, and the urine boiled down
The egg is then to be put into an
nntil the pot is dry.
"

The excrements of the patient may be dried as described above, and
pulverised ; they are tied up in a cloth and applied as a poultice, until
they are penetrated with sweat from the patient, and the powder is then
mixed with earth and inserted into a flower-pot, and a plant bearing the
signature of the patient's disease is planted into it. After the plant has
grown a while

it is

thrown into running water in oases of fevers and

flammations, but in cases of a
it should be hung into smoke/'

humid character

in-

or in lymphatic affections

PARACELSUS

190

ant-hill; the ants will eat it, and the patient recovers.
In atrophy of the limbs the Mumia is taken from the
upper and lower joints of the diseased limb, and planted
with an oak or cherry tree.
Diseases can also be cured
if
the
diseased
by transplantation,
part is covered for a

while with a piece of fresh beef, until the sweat enters
1
it, and the beef is then given to a cat to eat

into

OCCULT PROPERTIES OF PLANTS

An especially favourite remedy of Paracelsus is the
Hypericum perforatum, which is used especially against
"
The
elementals, spirits, and larvae inimical to man.
veins upon its leaves are a signatum, and being perforated, they signify that this plant drives

tasmata existing in the sphere of man.

away all phanThe phantasmata

produce spectra, in consequence of which a man will see
and hear ghosts and spooks, and from these are induced
diseases

by which men

are induced to kill themselves, or

The hyperito fall into epilepsy, madness, insanity, &c.
"
cum is almost an universal medicine 2 (De Natwralilits).
Another plant of great occult power is the Rosemary
(Bom&riMisqjfiMncdis), which also has the quality of keeping away evil influences, and is therefore a protection
against witchcraft, obsession, vampirism, and the influence of evil thoughts.
"
The " Herbarium of Paracelsus describes the occult
properties of thirty-six plants, and also of minerals and
precious stones ; but it would make this book too volumi-

nous to enter into

details.

1
An intelligent physician will neither accept nor reject the sympathetic
cures to which the directions given above refer, although they may seem

and based upon superstition. The term "superstition " signia belief in something of which we have no knowledge, but if we understand the rationale of a thing the superstition ends.
to be absurd
fies

8

Have

those

who

ridicule this statement ever

in cases of hallucination

IF

employed the hypericum

MEDICINE

19!

THE MAGNET
Paracelsus was

better acquainted than our modern
with
the
physicians
therapeutic powers of the magnet,
and used it in various diseases. He knew the powers

of mineral, human, and astral magnetism, and his doctrines in regard to human magnetism have been confirmed to a great extent since the time of his death.
More than a hundred years ago Mesmer created a sensation in the medical world by his discovery of animal
magnetism and by his magnetic cures. His discovery
was then believed to refer to something new and un-

heard

of,

but Lessing proved already in 1769 that the
magnetism was Paracelsus.

real discoverer of animal

In regard to the powers of the magnetism Paracelsus
says

:

"

That which constitutes a magnet is an attractive
is beyond our understanding, but which,
nevertheless, causes the attraction of iron and other
Our physicians have always had magnets at
things.
power, which

their disposal, but they did not

pay much attention to

them, because they did not know that they may be used
Our doctors
for any other thing than to attract nails.
have ceased to learn anything from experience, and they
make use of idle talk and it is a pity and a shame that
the representatives of our science should know so little.
They have every day occasion to see magnets publicly
;

and yet they continue to act as if no
*
in
were
existence."
magnets
"They complain of me because I do not follow the
methods prescribed by the ancients ; but why should I
follow the ancients in things in which I know they were
wrong ? They could not know things of which they had

and

privately,

1
The knowledge of the therapeutic use of the magnet has not advanced
much since the days of Paracelsus. Baron Reichenbach investigated the

subject in a scientific manner, but the result of his experiments
ignored by the medical profession as a whole.

is still

PARACELSUS

192

no experience, and it would be foolish to follow them in
Whatever I know
things in which they were mistaken.
I have learned by my experience, and I therefore depend
upon my own knowledge, and not upon the ignorance of
another."

" Our doctors
say that the magnet attracts

iron, and
verily it does not require a great deal of learning to be
able to perceive a fact that may be seen by every ignorant boor ; but there are qualities in a magnet not known

to every ignoramus, and one of these qualities is that the
magnet also attracts all martial humours that are in the

human

system."
Martial diseases are such as are caused by auras
coming and expanding from a centre outwards, and at
"

the same time holding on to their centres; in other
words, such as originate from a certain place, and extend
their influence without leaving the place from where

they originate.

In such cases the magnet should be laid

upon the centre, and it will then attract the diseased
aura towards the centre, and circumscribe and localise the
disease, until the latter disease
its centre.

symptoms

becomes reabsorbed into

1

It is useless to try to suppress the external
that are caused by a disease, if we at the same

A

time allow the disease to spread.
poisonous tree cannot be kept from growing if we simply cut off some of
its branches or leaves ; but if we could cause the vital
essence which it draws by its roots from the earth to
descend again into the roots and re-enter the earth, the
poisonous tree would die on its own account.
By the
attractive power of a magnet acting upon the diseased
aura of the blood in an affected part, that aura may

be made to return into the centre from which

it origi-

nated, and be absorbed therein ; and thereby we destroy
the herd of the virus and cure the patient, and we

need not wait idly to see what Nature

will

do.

The

1
If we remember that the blood corpuscles, and
consequently also the
nerve aunts, contain iron, this statement appears very rational.

MEDICINE
magnet

is

193

therefore especially useful in all inflammaand ulcerations, in diseases of the bowels

tions, in fluxes

and

uterus, in internal as well as in external disease."

"The magnet has

a front (north pole) and a back
(south pole); the former attracts and the latter repulses.
In a case of hysteria the attracting part of the magnet
is applied above the uterus, and the
repulsing part of

another magnet below.
In this way the nervous force
the
movements
of the uterus will be procontrolling
towards
its
In cases of epilepsy,
pelled
proper place.

where there

is

a great determination of nervous fluid

towards the brain, the repulsing (negative) pole of a
magnet is applied to the spine and to the head, and
the attracting (positive) pole of other magnets upon
the abdominal region.
There are a great many other
diseases that may be cured by the proper use of the

magnet, but for those who are able to understand such
things the hints already given will be sufficient, while
those who have little understanding would not comprehend this system even if we were to write a book
It should, however, be remembered that the
about it
manner of employing a magnet changes according as to
whether we wish to draw the diseased aura out of the
body, or to cause

it

to be reabsorbed into

its

centre."

composing the Microcosm of man are
identical with the forces composing the Macrocosm of
In the organism of man these forces may
the world.
act in an abnormal manner, and diseases will be thereby
created; in the great organism of the Cosmos they
may act in an abnormal" manner, and thereby abnormal
" diseases
in the earth and atmosphere,
conditions, or
in the water and in the elements of fire (electricity),
may be created. Man may be affected with spasms,
or dropsy, or colic, or fevers, &c., and the Macrocosm
of the earth may be affected with earthquakes, rainThe elements that conspouts, storms, and lightnings.

The

forces

stitute the life of the heart of

man

constitute the life

I

PARACELSUS

94

the quality of life found in the elements
his
blood corresponds to the quality of the
constituting
invisible influences radiating from Mars; if the soul-

of the sun;

essences that characterise the influences of

Venus did

not exist, the instincts which cause men and animals
to propagate their species would not exist, and thus
every planet and every star contains certain magnetic
elements that correspond with the identical magnetic

elements

existing

physician

who wishes

in

the

A
of Man.
must know the

constitution

to be rational

constitution of the universe as well as the constitution
of

man he must
;

astronomist

;

and

be an anatomist, a physiologist, and an
it

will avail

him

little

to learn these

sciences from the books, but he should have an understanding of them by the power of interior perception,

which cannot be taught in books, but must be acquired
by practice.

ANATOMY
Paracelsus regarded man as being not merely a compound of muscles and bones, tissues and nerves, but as
representing on a smaller scale all that is contained in
the great world.
Therefore his soul and mind are as
much parts of his true constitution as are the earthly
elements of which his elementary body is made up.

Thus the anatomy of Paracelsus takes in all the parts
which has already been described

of man's constitution,

in a previous chapter.
There are two kinds of

Anatomy of the Microcosm,
one teaching the constitution of the external form of
To
man, the other one that of the internal living man.

man by dissecting the external
for in doing so we do not find life, but
we destroy the form in which it manifested itself.
The Anatomy of the Microcosm is twofold:
The
seek for the internal

form

is useless,

local

anatomy, which teaches

physical

body, its

bones,

the

muscles,

constitution

(i)
of the

blood-vessels,

&c.

;

MEDICINE

195

and (2) The more important essential anatomy i.e., the
The latter is the
anatomy of the living inner man.
kind of anatomy which it is most important for the
physician to know, but it will be difficult to bring it
to the understanding of those who merely judge by
external appearances and refuse to follow the way of
If we know the anatomy of the
we know the Prima materia, and may see

the truth.

of the disease as well as the remedy.

inner man,
the nature

That which we

see with our external eyes is the Ultima materia.
By
dividing and dissecting the external body, we can learn

nothing about the inner (astral) man ; we merely destroy
"
the unity of the whole (Paramir., L 6).
The life of a thing, being latent in the form, is set

when the form is destroyed; its entering into a
new form is regeneration.
"
The rose is beautiful and has a sweet odour as long
free

as

it

remains in the form

;

but to manifest

its

medicinal

man, its form must be
enter the body of man.
Only

qualities in the constitution of

destroyed and its spirit
that which enters into regeneration
is useless.

In

is

useful; the rest

this regeneration enters the true Sulphur,
9

Mercury, and Salt' (the ethereal
within the gross particles).

essences

contained

PHYSIOLOGY

"As
so

it

each of the component parts has its own life,
its own death; there is a continual process

has

of death

and regeneration going on in man.

As

a

tree or a plant grows out of its seed, so the new life
grows out of the old one, and that which was hereto-

The physician should
invisible becomes visible.
be able to see that which is not visible to everybody.
He should see it in the light of Nature, and if this
visible and
light is to be called a light, it must be

fore

not dark/

PARACELSUS

I 96

" The
is grown from a physical
physical body of man
nutriment
for its support.
and
requires physical
germ,
There is something like a fire (energy) within ourselves
which continually consumes our form, and if we were
to our body to supply the waste caused
conthat
combustion, our form would soon die.
by
we
eat
our
our
own
our
eat
heart,
selves;
fingers,
tinually

add nothing

to

We

our brain, &c. ; but in each morsel of food which we eat,
is contained the material required to replace that

there

which has been consumed by that internal fire. Each
part of our organism selects what it needs, and that
The Master
which is superfluous or useless is rejected.
in man, who superintends the building up of the organism, supplies every organ with that which it needs.
need not eat bones to cause our bones to grow, nor

We

and brain, to have those things formed
Bread will produce blood, although there is

veins, ligaments,

within

us.

no blood in the bread
"

The

"

(Paramir., i. 7).
Besides the visible body, man has an invisible one.
former comes from the Limbus, the latter is made

spoken of as constituting our corporeal
form on the day of the resurrection" (Paramir., i. 8).
"
Heaven and Earth, air and water, are scientifically
is

considered a Man, and man is a world containing a
heaven and an earth, air and water, and all the various
principles which constitute the mineral, vegetable, and
animal kingdoms, and the higher acts upon the lower.

Thus the

principle constituting Saturn in the Macrocosm
upon the Saturn in man ; the Melissa of the Macrocosm acts upon the Melissa in the Microcosm, &c. There
are innumerable principles in the Macrocosm and in the

acts

Microcosm; they are not differing from each other in
the number of things of which they are composed, but
in the way they are composed
for they all consist
only
;

MEDICINE

197

of three things
As a
i.e., Sulphur^ Mercury^ and Salt.
million of figures are (potentially) contained in a rough
piece of wood from which a woodcutter may cut one

or

many images or forms; so many hundred different
may be produced from the Corpus of man, and

diseases

but a single Corpus; and as all the wooden
images may be consumed by one fire, so there is one
Fire in the universal storehouse of Nature which consumes that which is impure and separates it from that
which is pure."
it is

yet

A painter paints a picture upon a piece of wood,
and you will then see the picture, but not the wood ;
but a wet rag may wipe out all that the painter has
made.
Thus we have been cut out by the hand of God,
and He formed us in the three Substances and painted
"

us

all

over with Life, but death wipes out the picture.
we should not allow ourselves to be seduced

Therefore

by the temptations

of life, seeing that they are nothing
resembling colours which in themselves
are neither red, nor yellow, nor green, but merely
Death too has its colours,
appear to be so to the eye.
and if the colour of death takes the place of the colour
of life, death gets the mastery over life; these two
colours the physician should know, but they do not

but

illusions,

;
they are merely outward signs, and
"
as such they are illusive (Paramir., i. 5).
"It is erroneous to speak of fever as if this were

explain the disease

disease.

disease,

The name
and

c

fever' refers to the heat of the

this heat is

merely a symptom ;

it is

neither

the cause nor the substance of the disease; it would
be more appropriate to call it Morbus Nitri or Morbus
9

Sulphuris incensi.
'Apoplexy is a misnomer; because
it is caused by a sublimation of Mercury, and ought to

be more properly called Mercurius Cachinialis Sublimatus* The same may be said in regard to many other
might perhaps be translated as "a congestion of blood to the
brain caused by overworking the brain, or overloading It with a bad
nervous aura."

PARACELSUS

I 98

Names ought to indicate
diseases and their misnomers.
the true nature and not merely the external effects of
If a physician cannot see deeper than a
the diseases.
What is
is
a boor and not a physician.
then
he
boor,
there in the ocean, in the earth, in the air, or in the
which should not be known
firmament i.e. 9 the fire
is
to a physician ?
Why professional ignorance so great
and success so little, but because the practitioners study
only external effects and the anatomy of the external
form, and are not able to look with the eye of the spirit
We cannot see the
into the mysterious part of Nature ?
'

'

life

the eyes of the soul must
must become able to see not only the

in things that are dead

open, and

house of

we

bat

life,

;

9'

its living inhabitant.

THERAPEUTICS

"If we wish to restore health, we should be able
to use the virtues contained in all the four elements of
the celestial and terrestrial realm.

Man's organism is
composed of many parts if one part is diseased, all the
other parts sufifer, and one disease may be the death
of the whole.
Man has in him the whole firmament,
the upper and lower spheres if his organism is sick it
calls for help to heaven and to the earth.
As the soul
must fight against the devil with all her strength, and
call God to her aid with her whole heart, her whole mind,
and all her powers; so the diseased physical organism
calls to its aid all the celestial and terrestrial
powers
with which it has been invested by God to resist the
"
cruel and bitter death (Paramir., i. 2).
;

;

Pwramirwm, ;

or,

The Book of the Causes and the
The Five Causes.

Beginning of Diseases

"There

is

only one eternal and universal Cause of
and if we were to write in

everything, which is God,
a true Christian spirit, we

should not

make any

divi-

MEDICINE

199

but for the sake of helping our finite understanding, which is not able to grasp the power of the
Infinite, we are forced to accept the theory of a variety
sions;

of causes, hoping thereby to sharpen our intellect for
the comprehension of finite things, until by the illumination of Divine Wisdom we shall become able to behold

with the eye of Faith the eternal Unity of the All."
"
We have therefore divided the cause of all diseases

which are as follows:

into

five

Ens

Venenale, JEns Naturale,

Deale;

1

classes,

but the latter

Ens

Ens

Spirituale,

the fundamental

is

Astrale,

and Ens
cause

of

everything that exists."
"
As there are five causes of disease, there are also five
different methods of treating diseases, and five classes
of

faculties

or sects of physicians which follow these
is alone sufficient to treat all

Each method

methods.

five classes of diseases, and each physician should
be well experienced in the methods of the sect to which
he belongs, and he should not change from one system to
another, but confine himself to the one he has chosen to
2
He should not be wavering and uncertain, but
adopt.
he should be firm and full of faith, and be able to know
more by his own internal power of recognition than by

the

by what the patient may tell
for the patient, being only conscious of suffering,
not in a condition to judge his own case correctly, and

external observation or

him
is

;

the physician must be able to see things which are not
seen by every one/'

But the origin of some particular disease may be not
in only one of these causes, but in two or more of them,
and unless a person is able to recognise all the causes
of such a disease he will be unable to prognosticate the
time of

its

duration.

horoscope correctly,
1

An
and

calculate your
what
diseases yon
you by

astrologer

tell

may

This means: astral causes or origins, causes from poisons or imfrom morbid conditions in the body, spiritual
causes, and such as come through the action of the moral law (Karma}.
3 Those
who are Jacks of all systems are usually masters of none.

purities, causes that spring

PARACELSUS

200

when they will end; but he takes
causes into consideration, and the
five
the
of
one
only
chances are four to one that his predictions will prove to
be wrong, and that he will be laughed at by those who
have only a superficial knowledge, and who do not know
are threatened and

the cause of his failure.

Diseases caused ly Astral Causes.

I.

"The world

is

the Macrocosm and

and the elements of
the

all

man

the Microcosm,

that exists in the former exist in

All the influences that come from the sun,

latter.

the planets, and stars act, therefore, invisibly upon man,
and if these influences are evil they will produce evil

No vegetables would grow without the influence
effects.
of the sun, but if that influence is too strong they will
wither

and

vaporous

perish.

sphere,

like

The world is surrounded by a
an egg surrounded by a shell.

shell the cosmic influences pass towards
and on that occasion they may become
poisoned by the miasmas in the air, and create epidemic

Through that

the

centre,

An

diseases.

evil astral influence does

whole world, but only those
infection

exist

If

no germs

not poison the

places where causes for
of disease exist in our

atmosphere, the astral influences coming from the outside will cause no harm.
If evil elements exist in the
sphere of our soul, they attract such astral influences as
If the water in a lake freezes to
develop diseases.
the bottom the fish will die, and they will likewise die

may

if the water
gets too warm ; and if certain evil elements
exist in the water which attract certain
correspondingly
1

evil

planetary influences, a great many fish
one may know the cause " (Paramirum).

no
"The
*

Such

astral

may

influences are the servants of

die,

and

man and

influences consist in certain states of electricity, magnetism,
miasmas, and other "forces," for which modern science has no names and
modern languages no words, but which we may call "modifications of
Promo."

MEDICINE

201

A seed

not his ruler.

which, is planted in the ground
that is necessary for developing into
a tree, if the conditions necessary for such a development are furnished. It has the Ens Scminis in itself;

contains in itself

all

but if the sun did not exist, it would never grow.
The
seed needs a Digest, and this is furnished by the soil, but
the soil would be useless without being warmed by the
sunshine.
in its

womb

A

child in the

womb

of

its

mother contains

Ens Scminis the power
in which

it

lives, it

to grow, its Digest is the
requires neither planets nor

A

child may
planet and star is its mother.
be conceived or born during the best constellation of

stars

;

its

In
planets, and nevertheless have very bad qualities.
such a case the planets are not to blame ; it is the Ens
Swninis, which it has inherited in its blood."
"
Man lives within the invisible world comparable to
the yolk in nn egg.
The chicken grows from the white
of the egg, which constitutes its chaos, and man is
nourished by his cJiaos.
Within man are the sun and

moon, the planets and

all

the chaos" (Paragran.,

ii.).

the rest of the

stars,

and

also

The outward

influence of the stars on the sky avails
if
there
is not a corresponding power in the
nothing,
of
man
organism
upon which it can act but if the germ
;

present, the corresponding influence of the
stars acts upon it.
For instance, a man in whom $ or

of disease

is

are the ruling powers may be rendered very passionate
during a conjunction of Venice and Mars. Another born

$

under the influence of J may be troubled with rheumatic pains whenever Neptune stands prominent on the
*!

sky.

An

observation of the contents of the astronomical

almanac might often aid our physicians in making a
correct prognosis.
"
The moon exercises a very bad influence, especially
at the time of the new moon, which may be very injurious for persons whose sidereal bodies possess magnetic
elements that will attract that influence, and the con-

PARACELSUS

202

will
junction of the moon with certain other planets
1
For instance,
make her influence still more injurious.

a conjunction of the moon, Venus, and Mars may give
rise to the plague; a conjunction with Saturn to certain
evil influence can develop a
that
of
disease does not already
germ
The seat of the sun in the Microcosm is in the

acute diseases, &c.
disease where the
exist.

heart, that of the

but no

;

moon

is

in the brain.

The moon's

influence is cold; and insane people have been called
'
'
lunatics because they are often injuriously affected by

the moon, whose influence acts upon the brain and stimuand causes injurious dreams and

lates the sexual passions,

hallucinations."

2

"There are certain

stars

whose influence corresponds

to the medical qualities of certain metals, and others that
correspond to those of certain plants, and they will act for

good or for evil if they are attracted by corresponding elements in the sidereal body of man.
A physician should
know the physiology and anatomy of heaven as well as
that of man to understand the cause and cure of astralic
diseases, because he will vainly try his remedies as long
as his patient is under the ascending influence of an evil
but after that

star;

also be

evil influence ceases,

changed or disappear.

plant possesses certain qualities

the disease will

Every metal and every
that can attract correand if we know the

planetary influences,
influence of the star, the conjunctions of the planets,
and the qualities of our drugs, we will know what

sponding

remedy to give to attract such influences as
3
beneficially upon the patient."
1

It

is

will

act

not the physical body of the planet that acts upon the physical
astral influence of the planet acting upon the astral

body of man, but the
form.
a

What

the noxious influence of the moonlight is in the external woild,
the influence of a morbid imagination in tnan.
Diseases often appear without any atmepiable caiuw. In adit*' ilr caicM

the same
8

is

the patient often grows suddenly worse, or ho may prow
siuMi-nly brttrr,
and no cause can be assigned to it. Such chanp-n are usually attributed to
"catching cold" where no cold has been caught, to mistaken in tin- dirt

MEDICINE
*

If, for

instance, a

woman

is deficient

203
in the element

of Mars, and consequently suffers from poverty of the
blood and want of nervous strength (anaemia), we may
give her iron, because the astral elements of iron corre-

spond to the
will attract

astral

them

elements represented by Mars, and

as a

attracts iron.

magnet

But we

should choose a plant which contains iron in an ethere1
alised state, which is preferable to that of metallic iron.
In a case of dropsy it would be exceedingly injurious to
give any remedy that would help to attract the evil influence of the moon ; but the sun is opposed to the moon,

and those remedies which

attract the astral essences of

the sun will counteract those of the moon, and thereby
the cause of dropsy can be removed.
The same mode of

reasoning
2.

may be

applied in

Diseases caused

"by

all

other astralic diseases."

Poisonous Substances and

Impurities.

"Everything is perfect in itself and nothing is impure if it is what it ought to be; but if two things
"
come together, then one may be a poison to the other
(De JSnte Veneni).
"
Impurities and injurious elements enter the human
organism in various ways.
They may be taken in the
food or drink, inhaled with the air, or be absorbed by
There are visible and invisible poisonous
the skin.
substances, that are not injurious if they enter the
organism alone, but will become poisonous if they come
into contact with others.
There are poisons and imof
various
and
what is healthy food for
kinds,
purities
one organism may be injurious if taken into another,
and each thing contains hidden virtues that will be
where no such mistakes have been made, or they are attributed to " meteorological changes," of whose action upon the human system therapeutic
science knows less to-day than at the time of Paracelsus, because it is
fashionable
ttcCj

1

as being

For

among
"

certain people to reject everything which they cannot
of their consideration."

unworthy

inHtance, elder-berries (Sambwvtf).

PARACELSVS

204

useful for some beings while they are evil for others.
The salamander eats fire, the ox eats grass, the peacock

can swallow snakes and the ostrich stones ; but man
requires a different kind of food."
out of
Philosophy informs us that the world is made
of
If, then, all things are made out
all internal
of
causes
the
that
follows
logically
All
diseases are also originating within the will.

the will of God.
will, it

by any action coming
due to a perverted action of
the will in man, such as is not in harmony with the
laws of Nature or God.
If his will begins to move
in disharmony with these laws, then will a state of
diseases, such as are not caused

from the

outside,

are

disharmony be created, which ultimately finds its expression on the external visible plane, and it is not
necessary that the diseased person should be intellectually aware of the cause of such an inharmonious action,
for the will in man produces the harmonious and in-

harmonious performances of his internal organs without
man being aware of it and without the consent of his
intellect.
A mere thought, an idea, a mental impression, may produce such an inharmonious action of will,
and as the name "Tartarus" expresses that which is
perverted, impure, or opposed to good, diseases of such
an origin are called by Paracelsus " Fartaric Diseases."

"First of

all

know

should the physician

that there

which by their coagulation
form the physical body of man, and which are symbolised as 'sulphur, mercury, and salt.
The 'sul-phnr'
represents the auras and energies, the 'mercury* the
'
c
salt the material and substantial
fluids, and the
parts
of the body; and in each
organ these three substances
are combined in certain
proportions, differing from each
other.
These three substances are contained in all
things, and the digestive power is the great solvent for
are three invisible substances

9

these substances, of which each
part of the body assimilates whatever it will require.
Dew falls from the

MEDICINE

205

invisible air, corals grow in the water, and seeds draw
their nutriment out of the soil; the earth is a great

stomach, in which everything is dissolved, digested, and
transformed, and each being draws its nutriment from
the earth ; and each living being is a stomach that serves
as a tomb for other forms, and from which new forms
spring into existence

Each organism

"

(Paramir.,

i.).

requires that kind of food which is
nature. The body cannot be nourished

adapted to its own
with theories, nor the mind with potatoes.
The body
requires material food, the mind mental knowledge ; but
the soul needs the nutriment that comes from the holy
spirit of truth.

"

Every living being requires that particular kind of
is adapted to its species and to its individual
and
Life, the great alchemist, transforms the
organism,
In
taken.
the alembic of the animal organism it
food
extracts from it those substances which the various organs
food which

The lower class of animals are even better alcheneed.
mists than man, because they can extract the essence
of life out of things which he is forced to reject.
Man
extracts the more refined essences from food ; but a hog,
for instance, will extract nutriment out of substances
that would act as poisons in the organism of man, but

there

is

no animal known that

will eat the

excrements

Animals refuse to eat or drink things which
of a hog.
are injurious to them, and they select by their natural
instincts those things which they require ; it is only
given to intellectual

man

to

disobey

his

natural in-

and to eat or drink things which are injurious
to him, but which may gratify some artificially acquired
Man is much more subject to diseases than
taste.
stincts,

animals in a state of liberty, because animals live in
accordance with the laws of their nature, and man acts
continually against the laws of his nature, especially
in regard to his eating

body

is

strong

it

cnn,

and drinking. As long as his
expel or overcome the injurious

PARACELSUS

206

which are continually caused in it by ina
temperance, gluttony, and morbid tastes; but such
influences

continuous effort at resistance will imply a serious loss
and a time will come when disease will be
the result, because the organism requires a period of
of vitality,

rest

and a renewal of strength to expel the accumulated

If the physician attempts to prepoisonous elements.
vent such an expulsion of poisonous elements, he attempts a crime against Nature, and may cause the death
If he weakens in such cases the strength
of his patient.
of his patient

by abstracting
Rheumatism and

murderer.

blood, he will

gout,

dropsy,

become his
and many

other diseases are often caused by such accumulations
of impure or superfluous elements, and Nature cannot
recover until such elements are expelled and the vital

power of the organs restored. While the organism is
weakened and its vitality on the wane, the germs of
other diseases may become developed by attracting inpower of resistance
and thus one kind of a disease grows out of
(De JSnte Veneni).

iurious astral influences, because its
is enfeebled,

another

3. Hfos

*

Naturae

Diseases arising

Man's Nature;

Is.,

from

from

the Condition

of

Psychological Causes.

The world of corporeal forms is an external expression
Each thing represents an idea

of the world of mind.

each star in the sky
power or principle.
often caused- by a

;

is

A

a visible symbol of a universal
diseased

diseased

state

state

of the body

of the

mind.

is

The

majority of diseases are due to moral causes, and the
treatment ought to be of a moral kind, and consist in

giving instruction and in applying such remedies as
correspond to those states of mind which we wish to
induce in the patient.

Modern

science

knows almost nothing about the cause
and for this reason the use

of the action of medicines,

MEDICINE

207

of herbs and roots has been almost entirely abandoned.

She has her purgatives, her

suporifica, diaphoretica ; she
that
increases
the
Aloes
says
peristaltic movements of the
bowels, and that sttychnine paralyses the nerves, &c. ;
but why these remedies act thus and not otherwise, this

she does not explain.
Modern medicine requires, so to say, a sledge-hammer
for killing a fly ; but the finer natural remedies, such as

have not a merely mechanical, gross, immediate, and destructive action, have almost entirely disappeared from the
pharmacopoeia, and, as harmless and useless, been remitted
Their action is not underto the care of old women.
stood ; because it is not so violent as that of the poisons
"
"
used by the orthodox regular physician, and therefore
the effects produced are not at once apparent to the eye ;
but while the finer forces of Nature silently and noiselessly act upon the body of the patient, the violent
drugs administered by the modern practitioner usually

serve only to drive away effects by shifting the seat of the
disease to a still more interior and more dangerous place.

The doctrines of Paracelsus go to show that the same
power which exists in the mind of the universe, and
which produced a star on the sky, is also capable to
become manifest as a plant ; that the whole world consists of various states of spirit, having become embodied
or corporified in forms in Nature, in which the qualities
of the will, which produced them, is represented and
made manifest and that, all things originating primarily
out of one will-spirit, they are all related together and
;

may be made

upon each other by the law of inducdown to a tumour in the
a
of
an
certain state of vibraconstitutes
animal,
body
tion of the one original essence, and by applying a
remedy which is in a near relation to a diseased organ
tion.

Each

to act

thing, from the sun

(according to the quality of its spirit) we can induce a
healthy action in that organ, and thus restore its normal
condition.

208

PARACELSUS

"

of

Many diseases are caused especially by the abuse
physiological powers, in consequence of which the organs
Thus the stomach may
lose their strength and vitality.
be overloaded with food and irritated by stimulating
more than its natural
the kidneys may be

drinks, which force it to perform
and legitimate amount of work;

inflamed by stimulating and poisonous drinks, and bebecome weak, or enlarged, on account of their overwork ;
the same may be said of the liver ; the sexual powers

may become prematurely exhausted by excesses, and the
women be destroyed by (he unnatural frequency

health of

by which connubial

acts are performed.

Animals

live

according to their nature, and it is only given to reasoning man to act against his instincts, to neglect to listen
to the

warning voice of his nature, and to misuse the
organism with which he has been entrusted by the
creative power of God.
In many cases of lost vitality
the weakened organs will recover their strength after a
time of rest and cessation of abuse.
Nature is a patient
mother that often forgives the sins committed against

We

her, although she cannot forget them.
may therefore often trust to her recuperative
Nature
and
powers,
will be able to restore that which has not been irre-

vocably lost ; for Nature is a great physician, and the
dabblers in medicine and apothecaries are her enemies,
and while the latter fill the graveyards of the country

with corpses, Nature distributes the balsam of life."
"
Every organ in the human body is formed by the
action of certain principles that exist in the universe,

and the former attract the corresponding
activity in tho
latter.
Thus the heart is in sympathy with the elements
of the sun, the brain with the
with Mars, the kidneys with
Mercury, the liver with Jupiter,
&c.
There are many stars in

moon, the gall-bladder
Venus, the lungs with
the spleen with Saturn,

the great firmament of
the universe, and there are
many germs hidden in the
little world of
influences the low;
man, and the

high

MEDICINE

209

and in the Microcosm and Macrocosm

all things stand in
intimate sympathetic relationship with each other, for all
1
are the children of one universal father."

Not only is Man a compendium of invisible
having grown into corporeal shape every animal,
;

and mineral

forces,

plant,

a corporified principle, a materialised
power, or a combination of such ; and the Astronomy of
Paracelsus includes, therefore, not merely a knowledge
of the " stars," but also a knowledge of Zoology, Botany,
is

and Mineralogy. "What is Mars but the principle of
which is found universally distributed in Nature
and in the constitution of man ? What is Venus but
the power which excites the Vasa Spermatica in men and
in animals ?
What is Melissa but a power which exists
in the astral light and finds its material expression in the
herb Melissa, which grows in our gardens ? What are the
animals but the personifications of those characters which
they represent?
Everything is an expression of the
principle of life in a material form, and the life is the
Iron,

real thing; the external form is merely the house
"
Corpus in which it resides (De Pestttitate).

or

SIGNATURES
"

All natural forms bear their signatures, which indicate
Minerals, vegetables, and animals remain true to their nature, and their forms indicate their

their true nature.

Man, who has become unnatural, is the only
whose
character often belies his form, because,
being
while his character may have changed into that of an
character.

If
animal, his form has retained the human shape.
such men could re-enter the Limbus of Nature and

be born again in forms which correspond to
1

We

their true

ought not to forget that each planet corresponds to a certain
Thus h represents a melancholy, <J a fiery temper,
a dreamy disposition,
ambition and pride, g intelligence, 9 love
and desire,
wisdom.
Btatc of the mind.
(t

TJ.

PARACELSUS

2IO

nature

and

;

if this

should take place,

many of our Phari-

and pretending
sees, strutting about in scarlet coats
to be benefactors of mankind, while they in reality care
for nothing but for the gratification of their ambition

and lusts, would be born in the shape of monkeys, camels,
and buffaloes" (De PMosopMa).
"
He is not a physician who can see only that which
The experienced gardener can
is visible to every boor.
tell by looking at a seed what kind of a plant will grow
from it, and likewise the physician should be able to
perceive how a disease originates, and in what way it
will develop.

He who knows how

know the

will also

the rain originates

origin of dysentery; he

who knows

the origin of the winds knows how colic originates
who knows the periodical changes of the seasons

;

he

may

the origin of intermittent fevers; he who knows
the ebbs and tides in the Macrocosm will know the cause

know

of menorrhagias of the Microcosm, &c.
diseases in the affected organs, where

The quack studies

he finds nothing
which have already taken place, and he
will never arrive at an end
for if he were to kill a
thousand people for the purpose of studying those effects,
he would still be ignorant in regard to the causes.
Tho
else

but

effects

;

true physician studies the causes of diseases by studyIn him exist all the diseases that
ing man as a whole.
did exist in the past or will exist in the future.
The
destroyer is not a physician, but an executioner and

murderer.
Let the honest man ask his own conscience
whether God meaiflf tBat we should acquire wisdom by

murder

"

1

(Paragran., i).
the sunshine penetrates through a glass window
into a room, so the influences of the astral light enter
into the body of man, and as the rain is absorbed by the
"

As

soil, while stones and rocks are impenetrable to it, so
there are certain elements in man's organisation which
absorb these influences, while other elements resist their
1

Let the

vivisectioniats consider that question.

MEDICINE
To

action.

211

obtain a correct idea of the construction of

the Microcosm,

we

shonld

know how

the Macrocosm

is

constructed; we mast look upon man as an integral
part of universal Nature, and not as something separate
or different from the latter.
The earth nourishes the
physical body, and the astral body is nourished by the
astral light, and as the former hungers and thirsts for

the elements of the earth, so the latter longs for the
influences which come from the astral plane.
There are

many

'

thousands of magnets

'

in the constitution of

man ;

good attracts good, evil attracts evil ; good improves the
good, and causes it to be better ; evil attracts evil, and is
rendered worse thereby.
Innumerable are the JEgos in
and
in
him
are
devils, heaven and hell,
man;
angels
the whole of the animal creation, the vegetable and
mineral kingdom ; and as the individual little man may
be diseased, so the great universal man has his diseases,
which manifest themselves as the ills that affect humanity
as a whole.
Upon this fact is based the prediction of
future events

"

(Paragran.).

"Those who merely study and

treat

the effects of

who imagine

that they can drive
the winter away by brushing the snow from the door.
It is not the snow which causes the winter, but the
disease are like persons

Those people have
the cause of the snow.
and
the
of
reason
lost themselves
from
light
departed
winter

is

in idle vagaries, to the great detriment of the welfare of
Consider how great and how noble man is,

humanity.

and that

his visible

form

is

merely the outgrowth of in-

visible powers.
As it is outside of man, so is it inside,
and vice versd, for the outside and inside are essentially

one thing, one constellation, one influence.

It is the

He who
knows only the external form of man, and not the power
by which it is produced, knows nothing but an illusion
his science is illusive, only fit to impose upon the
LimfouA in which the whole of creation

is

hidden.

;

"

ignorant

(De Astronomia).

PARACELSUS

212

"Good or evil influence comes down from the sun,
the moon, or the stars; the action of the macrocosmic
influences stimulates the corresponding elements (the
man into action.
Corpora Miwocomi AstraHa) existing in
The same element which produces Mars, Venus, or
Jupiter in the sky exists also in the body of man;
because the latter is the son of the astral body of the
Macrocosm in the same sense as the physical body of man
To be a physician, it is not suffiis a son of the earth.
cient to know the anatomy of the physical body; you

know
know not merely
should also

that of the astral body; you should

a part, but the whole constitution of
the Macrocosm and the Microcosm of man. Adam is not
the father of man, nor is Eve his mother ; they were both
human beings themselves. The first man was a product
of creation,

and

all

LivnbuB (Nature).

created things constitute together the
Man is born from the Lirribus, and

it; the two, i.e., Man and Nature, are
he
who
knows the anatomy of Nature knows
and
one,
also the constitution of man.
If a man gets sick, it is
not the eternal part in him which suffers, but it is his
Iambus, which is composed of many hundreds of different
elements, which are all related to their corresponding
still

remains in

elements in the great Limlits of Nature."
" Nature
is
and Man

(Heaven)

Man,

is

Nature

;

all

men

are one universal Heaven, and Heaven is only one
universal Man.
Individual man is the individualised

Man, and has his own individual heaven, which
a part of the universal Heaven.
If all children were
born at once and upon one point, they would all be conuniversal

is

and be sick or well at the same time but
time of conception a differentiation takes
place,
and each child receives his own individual nature, which,
stituted alike,

;

at the

however, still remains an integral part of the universal
nature of mankind.
Thus, there are many points in a
circle, and each point constitutes a circle of its own, and
yet they

all

belong to the great

circle,

and as each

little

MEDICINE

213

circle may expand so as to encompass the whole, so the
heaven in man may grow so as to expand towards the
whole, or contract into his own centre and disappear."
"Why does man want to eat, to drink, and to breathe
but because he is related to the elements of earth, water,
and air, and must attract these things to his constitution ?
Why does he need warmth but because he is related to
the element of the fire and cannot do without it ? And all
these elements may produce diseases. There is no disease
in the elements, but the disease starts from the centres.
The origin of diseases is in man, and not outside of man
but outside influences act upon the inside and cause
;

diseases to grow.

Man

himself a cosmos.

is

A physi-

who knows nothing about Cosmology will know little
about disease.
He should know what exists in heaven

cian

and upon the

earth,

what

lives in the four

elements and

how they act upon man in short, he should know what
man is, his origin and his constitution he should know
;

;

the whole man, and not merely his external body.
If
man were in possession of a perfect knowledge of self he

would not need to be sick at
"

Diseases serve to teach

all."

man

that he

the universal Limlms and that he
y

is

is

made out of

like the

animals

and by no means better than they. He should study
himself and the rest of creation, so that he may attain
self-knowledge and this self-knowledge should be above
;

Man is the highest of all
obtained by the physician.
of
the
whole
the
animal
and
creation is contained
animals,
all

in him, and, moreover, he has the

power to attain

self-

knowledge, a faculty which the animals do not possess."
"
Every star (faculty) in the nature of man is of a
double nature, and he

who knows

the nature of the disease

;

the stars also knows

but the Arcana of Nature are

1

If the two opposites in the constitution of man
(heat and cold, love and hatred, &c.) are at war with

single.

1
That which is divine in man is only one, and has only one, aspect
other things have two aspect*, a material and an ethereal one.

;

all

214

PARACELSUS

each other, each of them asks for help from their

common

mother (Nature), and the physician should, therefore,
be well acquainted with the astronomy of the inner
heaven of man, so as to know how to assist Nature in
her work"

True love and true knowledge are inseparable.
" To understand the laws of Nature we must love

He who does not know Maria does not love
he
who
does not know God does not love Him ; his
;
He who does not underbelly (his greed) is his god.
The more knowstand the poor does not love them.
love and the
be
will
our
we
the
obtain,
stronger
ledge
Nature.

her

He who knows God has faith in
God; he who does not know Him can have no true
faith.
He who knows Nature will love her, and obtain
the power to employ her forces.
No one can be made
greater our power.

into an artist or inventor if he has not the natural love

and capacity for it ; no one can be a good physician unless
he is born to be one.
The art to invent is a species
of Magic, which cannot be taught, but which must be
All Wisdom comes from the East ; from the
acquired.
West we can expect nothing good ; therefore, you who
desire to be useful physicians, act according to the sun
of true Wisdom, and not for the aggrandisement of the
"
moonshine of self (JLabyrinthus Medicorum).
"
It must not be supposed that a certain material
element coming from the planets enters the organism
of man and adds something to it which it does not

The light of the sun does not contrialready possess.
bute any corporeal substance to the organisms existing
upon the earth, and a man does not become heavier if
he stands in the sun; but the natural forces
acting in
the various organs are intimately related to similar forces
acting in the organism of the world, and as the liver, the
spleen, the heart, &c., are the bodily representatives of
certain organic activities, likewise the sun

and the moon,
Venus, Mars, &c., are the visible representatives of the

MEDICINE

215

If a man gets
corresponding activities of the Cosmos.
angry, it is not because he has too much bile, but because
the Mars/ the combative element in his body (the in'

visible

power that guides the production of

man

bile), is in

a

amorous, it is not because
his spermatic vessels are overloaded, but because the
Venus (the amorous element) in his body is in a state
state of exaltation.

If a

is

'

c

of exaltation.

If in such cases a conjunction of the
combative and amorous elements takes place in his body,
an ebullition of jealousy will follow
and if such an
;

internal conjunction should take place at a time when
conjunction of the planets Mars and Venus takes place in

the sky, the sympathetic relationship existing between
the elements representing these planets in the Microcosm
and the elements represented by those of the Macrocosm

may lead to serious consequences unless counteracted by
l
the superior power of reason aud will."
There are a great many stars in the universe; there
are a great many forces active in the organism of man.
There are a great many giants which are the earthly representations of astral influences corresponding to the qualithe stars, and which will attract the influences of

ties of

the stars to which they are sympathetically related.
By
using such plants as medicine we attract the planetary
life-influences

needed to restore the
"~

'

vitality in diseased

parts.

~We give below a list of some principally useful herbs,
the names of the planets to which they are sympathetically related, and the names of the principal diseases in
which they may be used with advantage.

It will,

how-

ever, appear reasonable that it makes a vast difference
whether such plants are fresh or whether they have

been dried, and their occult properties
1

It

would be interesting

the time

are,

moreover, to

to collect statistics of crimes, showing exactly
place, comparing the latter with the time

when they have taken

of the conjunctions of the planets existing at the same longitude and
compare them with the constellations that ruled at the

latitude, and also
time of birth.

PARACELSUS

216

a great extent modified by the time of the day or night,
and under what planetary conjunctions they have been
Bach plant
are used.
gathered, and at what time they

should be gathered at a time when the planet to which
is related rules the hour, and its essence should be

There are a great many other plants whose essences
correspond to the ethers radiating from other planets
and stars, and if we knew all the qualities of the stars,

we would find that the quality of each of them is represented on the earth by some plant.
By the judicious
use of plants beneficial astral activities may be attracted
and evil influences neutralised ; but to know what plants
are required in each case it is necessary to know not
only the anatomy of the human body and the functions
of its organs, but also the constitution of the
starry
1

Useless to say that our druggists

know nothing about such

things,

and

do not observe them.
3

The physician of the nineteenth
among these remedies many that are

century will hardly fail to recognise
habitually used in modern medicine,
although there is hardly any other reason for their employment known but
that experience has taught that they are useful.

MEDICINE

217

heavens, the qualities of the stars, and the time of the

appearance and conjunctions of planets. The impossibility to grasp at once all these things intellectually
shows that the power of spiritual perception is a most
necessary qualification for the true physician.
It is not within the scope of this work to enter into
a detailed account of the treatment of special diseases
It may suffice to say that the
adopted by Paracelsus.
difference between the system of medicine of the present
day and that of Paracelsus is a difference growing oufc

an entirely

of

different

Modern

truths.

apprehension of fundamental

science

looks upon the universe as

being a conglomeration of dead matter, out of which, by
some unexplainable process, life may become evolved in
forms.

The

science of Paracelsus looks upon the whole
as the manifestation of a universal

the universe

of

principle of life, acting through the instrumentality of
Modern science seems to regard the forms as
forms.
the sources of life ; the science of Paracelsus looks upon

Forms are,
the forms as being the products of life.
so to say, condensed forces or crystallised space; but
space itself is an aspect of the one life, and there is no
dead matter in the universe,

for that

which dies returns

again into the matrix of Nature, to be reborn into other
forms, and to serve again as an instrument for the manifestation of

life.

In the universe of Paracelsus there is life everywhere,
and all beings are connected together by a common link.
Some forms are in a close mutual sympathy, while between others an antipathy is prevailing. Some attract
and others repel each other. During the ascendency of
1
a planet its essence will be especially attracted by
and
by animal organs that are in harmony with
plants
what
but
else is this radiating planetary essence but
it
;

the elixir of life, the invisible vehicle of a quality peculiar
to that power? And therefore a patient may grow better
1

The

"

ascendency of a star

"

means the increase

of

a power.

PARACELSUS

2i8

A medicine that
do good at one time will be useless at another, and a
and without
system of medicine without understanding
true knowledge of natural laws will remain a system
of mere suppositions and superstitions, of passive observation and inactivity, and if it attempts to interfere with
the cause of a disease, the probability is that it will do
or worse without any visible cause.
will

Paracelsus says: "Our physicians pay
1
to
the position of the planets, and thereno attention
fore they kill more patients than they cure, because a
serious harm.

medicine that may do good at one time may be injurious
That
at another, according to the prevailing influence.
which is active in medicines is their astral elements acting

upon the

astral

influences,

and

a medicine

is

it

man, and they are produced by astral
makes the greatest difference whether

pervaded by one influence or by another

"

(De Caduris).
It should always be remembered that astral influences
do not act directly upon the physical bodies of men and
animals, but upon their^ vital essence, in which all elements are contained.
Love for a certain person may
be created by a word or a touch, by a breath or a kiss,
but only if the person who is touched or breathed upon

has in his soul the elements that are capable to manifest
that particular kind of love.
The vehicle of life that
contains the life-essence in the body of man (the Mumia)
is the same as that which contains the universal life and

forms the

may

astral

body of the world ; but each energy
and modifications, differing

exist in various states

" Even the
from each other.
ignorant knows that man
has a heart and lungs, a brain and a liver and stomach ;
but he thinks that these organs are independent things,
that have nothing to do with each other
and even our
most learned doctors are not aware of the fact that
;

these organs are only the

material and bodily repre-

sentatives of invisible energies that pervade
1

The

and circulate

quality of the influences acting upon the patient.

MEDICINE
in the
'

'

liver

219

whole system; so that, for instance, the real
is to be found in all
parts of the body, and
herd in that organ which we call the liver.
All

has

its

the

members of the body are

the centre of the vital

fluid,

potentially contained in
which has its seat in

the brain, while the activity which propels
from the heart " * (De Virilnts Meiribrorum).

Mind

is

not created by the brain, neither

is

it

comes

love nor

hate created by the heart; but mind acts through the
brain, and love and hate have their origin in the heart
*

A

man who

or in his

fist,

is

not only angry in his head
over; a person who loves does

angry

but

all

is

not only love with his eye, but with his whole being ;
in short, all the organs of the body, and the body itself,
are only form-manifestations of previously and universally

existing mental states."
"
The body of a man

builds it

is

is

his house

The
another Venus

the astral world.

;

the architect

who

carpenters are at one

time Jupiter, at
at one time Taurus,
;
at another Orion.
Man is a sun and a moon and a
heaven filled with stars ; the world is a man, and the
light of the sun and the stars is his body the ethereal
;

body cannot be grasped, and yet it is substantial, because
substance (from sub, under, and sto, standing) means existIf the life
ence, and without substance nothing exists.
of the sun did not act in the world, nothing would grow.

The human body
1

This doctrine

is

is

vapour materialised by

corroborated by modern discoveries.

sunshine

Amputations
by a state of atrophy of certain parts of brainRubstance, which seems to indicate that the force which shapes the
limbs has its centre in the brain. If certain parts of the brain were
destroyed, the limbs would begin to atrophy. If we apply this mode of
reasoning to the Macrocosm, we find that all the essences and ethers that
go to make up the organs of the Macrocosm are also contained in its
centre, the Rim ; and if a certain element were taken away from the Run,
the planets could not continue to exist in their present condition. If a
certain element that goes to form the legs of men were suddenly taken
j
away from the universal storehouse of the Macrocosm (the Lim tu$),
human beings would be born without legs ; if no principle of reason
existed, there would be no use for brains, &c.
of limbs are followed

PARACELSUS

220

mixed with the life of the stars. Four elements are in
the world, and man consists out of four, and that which
exists visibly in man exists invisibly in the ether perWhere is the workman that cuts
vading the world.
out the forms of

and where
of the

is his

lilies

lilies

and

grow in the field ?
The characters
in the astral light, and in

roses that

workshop and

and roses

exist

tools ?

A

the workshop of Nature they are made into forms.
blooming flower cannot be made out of mud, nor a

man

out of material clay

;

and he who denies the

for-

mative power of Nature, and believes that ready-made
forms grow out of the earth, believes that something can
"
be taken out of a body in which it does not exist
(De
Caduds).

The power
power
power

to

of sight does not

come from the

hear does not come from the

ear,

eye, the

nor the

to feel from the nerves; it is the spirit of man
that sees through the eye, and hears with the ear, and
feels by means of the nerves.
Wisdom and reason and

thought are not contained in the brain, but they belong
to the invisible spirit which feels through the heart and
thinks by means of the brain.
All these powers are
contained in the invisible universe, and become manifest
through material organs, and the material organs are
their representatives, and determine their mode of manifestation according to their material construction, because

a perfect manifestation of power can only take place in
a perfectly constructed organism, and if the organism is
faulty the manifestation will be imperfect, but not the

power defective

"

(De Viribus Membrorum).
from the human intellect
especially in that the animal can see only the vehicle,
but the human intellect discovers the principle manifested therein.
For this reason those of our would-be
scientists who only see external effects, and cannot see
the principles therein, have only an animal intellect,
however well trained it may be.
original

emotions produce miscarriages, apoplexy, spasms, hysterics,
and cause malformations of the foetus, &c., &c. Such
things are known to all who have investigated such
matters; but it is less generally known that the evil
imagination of one person can affect the mind of another,
poison his vitality, and injure or kill his body.

The reason why this is not generally known is, that
the imagination of the majority of men and women in
our present state of civilisation is too weak, their will
too feeble, and their faith too much pervaded by doubt
to produce the desired effects ; and it is fortunate that
their imagination, however evil it may be, has not much
power as long as the state of morality is not higher
2
advanced than it is at present.
Nevertheless, there have
been persons whose evil will was so strong as to project

the products of their imagination instinctively or consciously upon a person whom they desired to injure, and
such persons are still in existence, although they may

not deem

it

prudent to boast of their

gifts or to exhibit

their powers in public.
Envy and hate produce an evil
imagination, and create forces that are more active

during sleep than during waking.
1

That which

2

To

The

evil

thoughts of

born from our thoughts is a spirit" (Pwramwr., i.).
to act on the plane of thought, and if the thought is
It is very
intense enough, it can produce an effect on the physical plane.
fortunate that few persons possess the power to make it act directly on
think

is

is

the physical plane, because there are few persons
thoughts entering into their mind.

who never have any

evil

PARACELSUS

222

a malicious person can affect another (sensitive) person,
not only while the former is awake, bnt also during his
is asleep, the
sleep; because when the physical body
sidereal body is free to go wherever it pleases or wherever
"

it

may be

attracted.

that is active in the organs is the anima
It is an invisible fire (sulphur),
animal
soul).
vegetim (the
that can easily be blown into a flame by the power of

The

life

the imagination. Imagination creates hunger and thirst,
produces abnormal secretions, and causes diseases ; but a
person who has no evil desires will have no evil imagination,

and no diseases

"A

person

will spring from his thoughts."
evil desires will have an evil

who has

imagination, and the forces created in the sphere of his
mind can be projected by powerful will into the mental

sphere of another.
Thoughts are not empty nothings,
but they are formed out of the substance that forms the
element of the mind, in the same sense as a piece of ice
is

made out

of the substance of water.

The

will is the

power
image formed in the mind,
in the same way as the power of cold will cause a body
of water to freeze into solid ice ; and as an icicle may
be thrown from one place to another, likewise an evil
thought, formed into substantial shape by an intense
will, may be hurled into the mental sphere of another,
and enter his soul if it be not sufficiently protected/'
that concentrates the

"

Imagination
the cure for all.
it is

is

the cause of

If

because our faith

weak on account

many

diseases

;

faith

is

we cannot

of our

is

cure a disease by faith,
too weak; but our faith is

want of knowledge

;

if

we were

conscious of the power of God in ourselves, we could never
fail.
The power of amulets does not rest so much in the
material of which they are made as in the faith with which
they are worn ; the curative power of medicines often consists, not so much in the spirit that is hidden in them, as
in the spirit in which they are taken.
Faith will make
them efficacious; doubt will destroy their virtues,"

MEDICINE
The Ens Spirituale
true spiritual Will is
attained by very few.

is

the Will

known

very

22

The power of
little,

because

tin

it

i

In our present civilisation, mei
of strong, determined, and enlightened Will are few an(
far between ; men and women are ruled to a great exten
by their instincts and desires, and have not sufficient will
power to rise above and control them.
" The Ens
SpiritudLe is a power which may affect th<
whole body and produce or cure all kinds of diseases ; i
is neither an angel nor a devil, but it is a spiritual powe:
which in the living body is born from our thoughts."
" There are two
one ii
principles active in man
the principle of Matter, which constitutes the corporea
visible body
the other one is the Spirit, intangible anc
invisible, and the spiritual principle may be vitiatec
and diseased as well as the body, and transmit its
;

;

diseases

naturale

and

deale

The Ens astrale, veneni, anc
body.
upon the body, but the Ens spirituali
belong to the spirit; if the body suffers, th<

to the
act

need not suffer; but if the spirit suffers the
body suffers; the body cannot live without the spirit
but the spirit is not confined by the body, and therespirit

The spirit in man sustains
fore is independent of it
the body as the air supplies him with life; it is substantial, visible,
tangible, and perceptible to othei
entities, and spiritual beings stand to each
other in the same relationship as one corporeal being
I have a spirit and you have one, and
to another.
our spirits communicate with each other in the same

spiritual

sense as our bodies; but while we need language tc
understand each other, our spirits understand each
If one spirit is angry at
other without using words.
another it may injure him, and the injury received
be transmitted upon his body.
Spirits harmonise and
associate with each other, or they repel or injure one

another.

from the

Spirits are not born
soul, for the soul is

from the
the

intellect,

substance of

but
life.

PARACELSUS

224

Thought alone produces no

spirit,

but

it

determines the

qualities of the will."

"

There is no spiritual power in children, because they
have no perfect will-power; he whose will is perfected
a spark,
gives birth to a spirit, as a pebble produces
and this spiritual power partakes of the nature of his
He who lives in the will, possesses the spirit
will.
There is a corporeal world
i.e. 9 the Ens spiritual.
spiritual world, and the two are one, and the
beings live in their own spiritual world as
live in ours.
They have their likes and dislikes,

and a

spiritual

we

sympathies and antipathies, like ourselves, and
they do not always correspond to the likes and dislikes
Men may quarrel and fight with
of the bodily forms.
and
other
their
each
spirits nevertheless be in harmony,
their

if a spirit injures another spirit, the material body
of the latter will becomes also affected."

but

"The

spirits of

a

man may

act

upon another with-

out the other man's consent or intention, unconsciously
and involuntarily to him; but if man's will is in
unity with his thought and desire, a spirit (force) will

be produced which can be employed for good or for evil.
If two such spiritual forces battle with each other, the
weaker one, or the one which does not defend itself
sufficiently, will be overcome, and bodily diseases may be

An evil-disposed person may throw the force
of his will upon another person and injure him, even if
the result.

is stronger than the former, because the latter
does not expect and is not prepared for the attack but
if the other is stronger and resists
successfully, then a

the latter

;

him which
"l
and
which
enemy
may destroy him

force will be kindled in

will

overcome his

(Rcpercussio).

1
Here is the whole philosophy of what is now called u hypnotic mgMen's thoughts constantly act upon each other, be
gestion" outlined.
it knowingly or without their knowledge, and the
stronger overcomes

and overawes the weaker ; but the strength of the thought depends upon
the force of the will by which it is endowed, and the strength of will
depends upon the amount of its consciousness."

MEDICINE

225

"

Waxen images, figures, &c., may be used to assist
the imagination and to strengthen the will.
Thus a
necromancer will make a waxen image of a person
and bury it, covering it with heavy stones, and if his
will

and imagination are powerful enough, the person

whom

represents feels very miserable until that
removed.
Likewise, if he breaks a limb of
weight
that figure, a limb will be broken in the person whom
the figure represents, or he thus inflicts cuts, stabs, or
it

is

other injuries upon an enemy.
It is
spirit acting upon the spirit

done through
necromancer
can by his will act directly upon the body of a person,
but he can act upon his astral spirit, and the spirit of

the

all

No

the injured person reproduces the injury upon his
Thus a necromancer plants a tree, and he
body.
cuts the tree cuts himself

;

that

is

to say,

own
who

he does not

cut his body, but the spirit, which has the same limbs
as the body, and the cuts made upon the spirit are
reproduced upon the body."
"

Thus the spirit of a person may, without the assistance of his body and without a knife or sword, cut or
stab or injure another person by the mere force of the
imagination and will, and images can be cursed effectually, and fever, apoplexy, epilepsy, &c., be caused thereby ;
but our scientists have no conception of what a power
the will is, because they have no strong will, and they do
not believe in such things, because they are beyond their
The will produces such spirits, and they
comprehension.
can also act upon animals, and it is even easier to affect
animals than to affect men, because the spirit of man is
l
better able to defend itself than that of an animal."
"
a
thus
necromancer
Not only may
consciously injure
another person by his evil will and imagination, but
is a glorious new field of activity for the enterprising
Imt unfortunately he in whom such evjl forms of willpower (elftnuntfilri or dcvila) have come into existence will not get rid
tl
-in easily, ami he will be himself the greatest sufferer in the end.
1

Here again

vivihcctionist

.l

;

PARACELSUS

226

of envious, jealous, revengeful, and wicked
of the practices
persons can, even if they are ignorant
of sorcery, injure those who are the objects of their
evil will while the body is asleep; for dreams which

the

spirit

come from the

spirit are actually enacted,

which do not come from the

spirit are

but dreams

only plays of

fancy/'

"One

render another poison harmless,
of the imagination of one person
neutralises the effects of the imagination of another.
If any one can make an image of wax to injure my
poison will

and thus the

effect

may make

another image to attract the evil
His image obtains its power by the force of
spell
his faith, and my image obtains its virtue by the

body, I

power

of

my

faith;

and the

injuries inflicted

by

my

enemy upon the image will leave me unharmed, and
the curses that he heaps upon me will return to him
and leave me unhurt."
"If a person is gloomy and despondent, he ought
not to be left alone, but he ought to have some one
to cheer him up and to explain to him that he must
free himself of his own morbid thoughts.
There are
some who believe that it is possible for witches to
pass through doors and to vampirise people; but no
witch can bodily (physically) pass through a closed door

way in which this is done by sylphs and pigmies ;
they do such things in their astral forms/'
"
you doubtful man, you Peter of little faith, who
are moved by each wind and sink easily
You are yourin the

!

self the cause of all

such diseases, because your faith
is so little and feeble, and
your own evil thoughts are
your enemies. Moreover, you have hidden within yourself a magnet which attracts those influences which corwill, and this celestial magnet is of such
more than a hundred or even thousands
attracts that which your
spirit desires out of

respond to your

power that
of miles,

it

for

the four elements

"

(Philos. Occulta).

MEDICINE
5.

Diseases originating

All diseases

from

the

are

2271

the Divine Cause (

effects

of previously existing

Some

originate from natural and others from
causes.
spiritual
Spiritual causes may have been created
a
man
For such cases
by
during a former existence.
there is no remedy but to wait patiently until the evil
force is exhausted and the law of universal justice satisfied ; for even if the just retribution for our sins can be
evaded at one time, it will only be postponed, and the evil
returns at another time with an accumulation of interest
and with increased force.
"All diseases originating from the above-mentioned
four causes may be cured by the power of the true Faith.
All health and all disease come from God, and in God
Some diseases, however, do not directly
is the cure.
come from God, but are natural (although they, too,
come from God indirectly, because Nature is a manifestation of the power of God), but other diseases are directly
sent by God as a punishment for our sins. Each disease
is a purgatory, and no physician can know exactly when
the physician is only a servant of
or how it will end
to
who
works
If it is the
God,
accomplish His will.
will of Providence (Karma) that the patient should still
remain in his purgatory, then will the physician not be
able to help him out of it ; but if his time for redemption has come, then will the patient find the physician
through whom God will send him relief. The physician
may cure the sick by using remedies, but it is God who
makes the physician and the remedy. God does not
perform miracles without man; He acts through the
instrumentality of man, and restores the sick to health
through the instrumentality of the physician, and therefore the physician should be in possession of faith (in
harmony with God), so as to be a perfect instrument
through which the will of God can be accomplished."
causes.

;

1

"The

will of

God,"

PARACELSUS

228
"

He who

or from a phyexpects help from medicine
but he is a Christian who hopes

sician is not a Christian,

to receive aid from

God through

the instrumentality of

and most potent physician ; human
Call not for help to
His
are
deputies.
only
physicians
the personal self of any man, but ask it from God acting

God

man.

is

the

first

He will cause you to find the

through man, and

physician,
aid
or He
receive
should
that
;
you
you
within
the
aid
yourself,
provided
power
you through
may
you are holy or a physician yourself."
"
Two kinds of punishment (Karma) are waiting for
if it is well for

the sinner.

one after

One

takes place during his life, the other
Those sins which are not expiated

his death.

after death will produce certain effects in our next life.

God

is

the master of Nature, and the physician is her
no physician fancy that he can be a

servant, and let

master of Nature unless he

is a servant of God."
There are two ways of practising the medical art :
the first is to employ art ; the second is to employ rancy.
The former means the employment of observation, reason,

"

knowledge, experience, and wisdom ; the latter is tho product of speculation, self-conceit, preconceived opinions,
and ignorance. Those who are wise will know which way
"

to choose (De Ente Dei).
"
No physician should presume to

know

the hour of

recovery in such cases, because it is not given to
judge of the offence of another, and the inner

man

to

temple

contains mysteries in which no uninitiated stranger is
permitted to pry. If the trial is over, God will send the
If a patient recovers by following the advice
physician.
of a physician, it is a sign that the physician has been

sent by God ; but if no recovery takes place, God did not
send the physician. Nothing in the world happens without a cause. The ignorant physicians are tho servants of
hell, sent by the devil to torment the sick ; but the true
God does nothing in an unnatural
physician is God.

manner, and

if

He

produces wonders,

He

produces them

MEDICINE

229

Q-od does not go about practhrough human agencies.
tising medicine or come to see a patient if He comes to
If a town poshim, He comes in the shape of a man.
sesses a good physician, people may look upon him as a
;

God

blessing from

but the presence of an ignorant or
;
a public calamity and a curse to all.
Bat all bodily diseases will be cured at the legitimate
hour, when the battle of life is ended and the angel of
greedy doctor

is

death opens the portal to the eternal 1 kingdom of rest."

THE

As

2

PJU.CTICE OF MEDICINE

there are five causes of diseases, so there are five
ways of removing them, and therefore five classes

different

of physicians
" I.

:

Naturalcs

i.e.,

those

with opposite remedies

;

who

treat diseased conditions

for instance, cold

by warmth,

dryness by moisture, &c., according to the principle,
To this class belonged
Contraria contrariis curantur.

Amccnna, Galen, &c." (Allopaffiy, Hydrothcrapi?, cfec.).
" 2,
Such as employ specific remedies, of
Specific^
which it is known that they have certain affinities for
certain morbid conditions.
To this class belong the
Empirics
1

Tho word

eternal does not signify a time without end, but a state in
not measured, and in which it therefore does not exist.
9
misunderstanding of the doctrine of Karma may give rise to an
There are
erroiu'oiiH belief, which may be productive of serious harm.
great mini herd of religious fanatics in the East, and some in the West,
who would not make an attempt to pull a person out of a burning house,

which time

is

A

they could easily do so, because they believe that if it is "the
hift Karma, that he should perish in the fire, it would be
wrong to interfere with that law, and to frustrate the purpose of God.
Thi'y Hhould remember that if it was the will of God which caused such
a prr-non to fall into danger, it must also have been the will of God which

<u>n

if

will of

B*nt

God," or

them

their duty

near,

and

and enabled them to save; and

suffer

if

they neglect to do

to perish, they are arrogating to themselves the
They then act against the law, and will become

him

prerogatives of goda.
responsible for their act. God acts through man, and a man who does
not respond to His call, and refuses to obey the Divine command, spoken

within his heart,

is

a useless instrument, and

will

be rejected.

PARACELSUS

230

"

have

The physicians of this class
cure diseases by employing their will-

Charaeterales.

3.

the power

to

"

power (Magnetism, Suggestion, Mind-Owe).
have
"4. Spirituales.The followers of this system
the power to employ spiritual forces, in the same sense
as a judge has power over a prisoner in the stocks, because
Such a physician was
he is in possession of the keys.
"

Hippocrates
"

(Hypnotism, &c.).
the power of Faith,
Fiddes
i.e., those who cure by
"
such as Christ and the apostles (Magic).
"
Among these five classes, the first one is usually the
most orthodox and narrow-minded, and rejects the other
5.

four for not being able to understand them."
"From each of the five causes of diseases all kinds of
diseases may spring, and each kind of disease can therefore be divided into five classes, according to its cause.

There are consequently five kinds of plague and five
kinds of cholera, five kinds of dropsy or cancer, &c.
If,
for instance, a plague appears, the Natwrales will say it
is caused by a disorganisation of the bodily structures,
while the Astrologer will say it is caused by a certnin
constellation of planetary influences ; but there mny be
three more causes which produced that epidemic, and

which

will

disease

may

determine its character.
Moreover, each
manifest itself in two ways, one of which
belongs to the department of Medicine, the other one
to the department of Surgery.
That which radiates from
the centre (constitutional diseases) belongs to Medicine ;
that which is localised
i.e., circumscribed or confined
1
to a certain locality
belongs to Surgery.
"

Each physician, no matter

should

know

the five

methods of treatment;

to which sect he belongs,
causes of diseases and the five

but each method is in itself
no matter from what cause

sufficient to cure all diseases,
"

they originate
1

(De Ifatibus Morbosom).

The word "surgery"

from

its

modern

is

acceptation.

here applied in a sense somewhat different

MEDICINE
" No

knowledge

is

231

perfect unless

it

includes an under-

i.e., the beginning ; and as all
standing of the origin
of man's diseases originate in his constitution, it is necessary that his constitution should be known, if we wish

to

know

his diseases."

THE THREE SUBSTANCES
" The Bible

us that

Man

made out

of nothing ;
from God, who
is not a thing, but the eternal reality; but he is made
into three somethings or * substances/ and these three
constitute the whole of Man they are himself, and he
is they, and from them he receives all that is good or
evil for him.
Every state in which man can possibly
enter is determined by number, measure, and weight"
The "Three Substances" are the three forms or modes
of action in which the universal primordial Will is
tells

that is to say, his

spirit,

is

the real man,

is

:

manifesting itself throughout Nature, for all things are
a Trinity in a Unity.
The " Salt " represents the principle of corporification, the astringent or contractive

and

solidifying quality, or, in other words, the lody ; the
"
"
Sulphur represents the expansive power the centrifugal force, in contradistinction to the centripetal motion
"
of the first quality
it is that which
burns," i.e., the
"
"
soul or light in all things ; and the
Mercury is the
Life,

i.e.,

that principle or form of will which manifests
Each of
consciousness and sensation.

itself as life, or

an individual power; l nevertheless
"
"
"
matter and " force are one,
and originate from the same cause. The three substances, held together in harmonious proportions, constitute health; their disharmony constitutes disease, and

these forms of will

is

they are substantial, for

their disruption death.
" These three substances should be
practically
1

So are

light, heat, electricity, &c.

Each

nevertheless universally existing, energy.

of

them

is

known

an individual, and

PARACELSUS

232

to the physician, for his usefulness does not consist in
in his ability
merely possessing theoretical knowledge, but
He must learn to know these subto restore health.

stances by studying the light of Nature, not by seeking
in his own imagination; he should become able
to see Nature as she is, and not as he or others may

them

His art should be baptized in the
imagine her to be.
fire
he must have himself been born from the fire, and
No one is born a
tested in it seven times and more.
physician out of himself, but out of the light of Nature,
;

and

this light is the great world.

examination of Nature and

the

should not seek for wisdom in

He

should pass through

He
know her laws.
but
in
his own fancy,

the light of Nature, and from the ability to recognise
Not in the books,
fchis
light springs the true science.

but in the light of Nature is to be found true wisdom
and art, theory and practice but those who cannot find
wisdom in that light, and seek for it in their own fancy,
;

will continually err."
"

l

There is nothing in man which would naturally cause
to be a physician.
He has the capacity to collect
ideas intellectually, but this alone does not constitute
art.
This faculty is like an empty box, useful only to
store up useful things.
Let us look at two examples
the glass-maker and the carpenter.
The glass-maker
did not learn his art from himself, he found it in tho
light of Nature, for Nature showed him how to melt the
materials by means of the fire, and discovered the glass
for him; but a carpenter who builds a house constructs

him

according to his

it

own

ideas,

provided he has the neces-

A

sary materials.
physician may have the necessary
materials
i.e.
the patient and the remedies but he is
not a true physician as long as he has not the true
9

Sankaracharya says: "The first necessary reqnimte fop the attainof real knowledge is the possession of the
power to distinguish the
Tbut which hindcra
enduring (spirit) from the non-enduring (matter)."
i

ment

man

to see the truth is the delusion of "self."

MEDICINE
knowledge
applied.

233

as to how and when and why they must be
The glass-maker is taught by Nature, the

carpenter follows his

own

fancy

;

the former

is

taught

by the fire, and the true physician receives from the fire
i.e. his experience.
of Nature his wisdom and his art
t

This

l

true approbation"
"
The ignorant refuse to follow Nature, and they folOne
low their own fancies.
Understanding is twofold.
is his

understanding comes from experience, the other from
aptitude; the former, again, is twofold, and is based
either upon the understanding of the law or merely

The former is the one
upon haphazard experiment.
which
medicine
true
rests, and implies the knowupon
ledge of the three substances; the other is merely supposition and error, for a haphazard experiment may succeed
once and fail at another time."
"

We

should not follow in the footsteps of persons, but
in the footsteps of Nature ; we should not act on account
of hearsay, but on account of our own understanding.
The first man who learned anything useful was taught

by Nature

my

;

let

Nature teach us

as she taught him.

If

art is to be based

upon a firm foundation, it must
own understanding, not upon that of

be based upon my
A physician should have God before his
another man.
he should see the truth, not
eyes, visibly and tangible
shadowy or as in a dream, but tangible and without any
doubt.
Our science should be based upon our own
perception of truth, not upon mere belief or opinion.
Information received from men can only assist us in
forming opinions, but it constitutes no knowledge. Trufc.
knowledge consists in a direct recognition of the real,
and is taught by Nature herself."
;

1

The

true physician acts in

tries to oppose Nature
cian will aid Nature to

harmony with

natural laws

;

the quack

by mwans of his own inventions. The true physithrow off the germs of disease ; the quack will try

to force Nature to retain the poison and to prevent its outward manifes"
tation.
(Compare William Tebb, Leprosy and Vaccination." London,

1893.)

PARACELSUS

234

far as the patient is concerned, there are three
his disease
things required of him to effect a cure:
1
he should have a certain
should be a natural one,

"As

amount of
If these

will,

and a certain amount of vital energy.
are not present, no cure can be

conditions

who
effected; for even Christ could not benefit those
This power is Faith,
were not receptive of His power.
should be present in the patient as well as in the
'
Christ did not say to the sick, I cured thee,'
'
but He said, Thy faith made thee whole.' It is not the

and

it

physician.

heals the sick, but it is God who heals
him through Nature, and the physician is merely the
instrument through which God acts upon the nature of

physician

who

the patient.
The patient should therefore have faith in
and
God
confidence in his physician.
God acts accord-

ing to universal law, and makes no exceptions in special
cases ; but all power comes from God, and may be guided
God
properly or its action impeded by the physician.

no one

it is Nature which causes people to die.
and the physician in whom the power of
is manifest will be a fountain of life and health to
the sick.
To God belongs the praise, and to man the
Those who attempt to cure diseases by their
blame.

kills

God
God

;

is Life,

own

power, without recognising the eternal source of all
power, will never know the deeper mysteries of Nature.
They deal with lies, and do not perform the will of God ;

and

if

who

are responsible for

they murder their patients,

it is

they themselves

it."

"

Those who attempt to cure the sick by means of what
they learn in books, and without using their own judgment, are like the foolish virgins mentioned in the Bible,
who wasted the oil from their lamps, and tried to borrow
light

from

others.

Those whose minds are open for the

reception of the truth,
their art for its

own

who

sake,

without any thought of
1

Not due

are charitable to

all,

and seek to do the
self,

they belong to

to unexhausted

Karma.

who

will of

my

love

God,

school,

MEDICINE

*

and are

my

They

disciples.

of wisdom, and

will

be taught by the light

God will perform His

their instrumentality

"

235

miracles through

(De Virtute Medici).

ARCANA (MYSTERIES)

Why
celsus

is

the practice of medicine of Theophrastus Paraincomprehensible to the modern pracIt is because the latter seeks to treat the

almost

titioner?

diseased organs themselves, which are as such merely
the external effects of internal causes, and he knows of

no other way to act upon them except by mechanical
or chemical means
while the method of treatment of
means
of which he made the most wonderParacelsus, by
;

change the interior spiritual causes from
which the outward effects grow to treat the very essences
out of which corporeal organs become crystallised, and
ful cures, is to

;

to supply

them with the power of vitality of the
To accomplish this, deep
require.

which they

quality

insight

into the causes of disease, spiritual perception, spiritual
knowledge, and spiritual power are needed, and these
qualities belong not to that which is human in
to the light of the spirit which shines into him.

man, bat
For this

reason the Arcana of Paracelsus have been universally
misunderstood, and it is believed even to this day that
*

'

were certain compounds which he
and
which
concocted,
might be prepared by any apothecary, if he were put in possession of the prescriptions for

his

secret remedies

them.

A

This is, however, not the case.
prescription
1
that might be learned from books is not an Arcanum ;
a secret that might be communicated intellectually from

one person to another is not a divine or spiritual mystery.
A cow can give birth to nothing else but a calf, a monkey
1
An Arcanum is incorporeal and indestructible of eternal life, superhuman and beyond Nature. In us is the Arcanum Dei and the Arcanum
Natures; the Arcanum is the virtue of a thing in its highest potency the
"
Arcanum Homvnis is that p^wer of man which is eternal in him (Archidoxcs, De Arcanis).
;

PARACELSUS

236

cannot produce a man ; neither can he who has not himself been reborn in the spirit produce or endow things
with spiritual power. Man must himself be that which
to produce.

lie desires

We

do not blame those who, not being

spiritual, are

unable to grasp spiritual truths ; we only reject the conceit of those who, not being capable to see the true light,
dogmatically deny its existence.
Even of the direct disciples of Paracelsus, few only
"
were able to see the truth clearly. He says
Twenty:

one of

my

servants have become victims of the execu-

tioner (the illusions of this world, false reasoning).
God help them ! Only a few have remained with
(Denfensio,

"The

May
me "

vi.).

Arcanum is the Mercurius vivits ; tho
Prima Materia; the third is the Layis

first

second, the

These
PMLosophorum ; and the fourth, the Tinctwa.
remedies are rather of an angelic than of a human
character" (Archidoxes,

iv.).

God

acting within Nature could create
a world, surely the same divine will, acting within man,
can cure all diseases ; but only that will which is active
If the will of

in man, not that which
his

organisation

;

is outside of him, can act within
and before a man becomes able to

send his soul within the soul of another person, his

own

must become godlike and free.
A "hypnofisrr"
a
will
of
the
weak-minded
merely paralyses
person and
induces a kind of dream
but the magic power of the
true Adept is the power of God acting through him.
Such powers do not belong to that which is mortal in
man, but to that which is divine, and therefore those
who wish to graduate in the school of Paracelsus and
follow his example will have to outgrow their selfconceit and become regenerated in the spirit of divino
wisdom, which is the realisation of truth.
will

;

"We

are not intent

thoughts,

mind and

upon showing our feelings ami
and fools, and we

heart, to idiots

MEDICINE

237

protect ourselves, therefore, by a good wall, to whose door
If you have the
only the wise ones possess the key.
will
proper understanding, you
comprehend it and act

accordingly ; but if you are deficient in your knowledge
or in its practical application, you will also be without
all

the planets,

Nom

stars,

and signs

"

(Ccdum

Phttos.).

The above-named Arcana may, although

described as follows

imperfectly, be

:

Mwcwrius vivits. Spiritual Intelligence, Divine Self-consciousWisdom.
Prvma Materia. The Logos in its aspect as the substance and

ness,

essence of all things, the

Lapis Philosophorum.

"Word"
The

(Abash a).

spiritual

man himself, having attained

self-knowledge.
Tinctwra.

The power

divine wisdom.

of

divine love,

it

being identical with

VIII.

ALCHEMY AND ASTEOLOGY

ALCHEMY and Astrology

are sciences which are at the

present time very little understood, because they deal
with spiritual things, which cannot be known to persons
who are not in the possession of spirituality. Chemistry
deals with physical matter; alchemy deals with their
astral principles.
Astronomy deals with the physical
aspect of the bodies of planets and stars ; astrology deals
with the omnipresent psychic influences which their
souls exert upon each other, and upon the Microcosm

of man.

Chemistry is a science that may be learned by any
one who has ordinary intellectual capacities, and a
certain

amount

cation.

of skill required for its practical appliAstronomy may be studied by any one who is

mathematics and possesses logic
and physical sight.
Alchemy is an art which cannot
be understood without spiritual or soul knowledge.
Asable to comprehend

trology is incomprehensible to those who cannot realise
the true character of the stars.
The books treating of

alchemy and astrology will easily be understood by
persons who know the things of which they treat, but
to those who are not in possession of such knowledge
they will be incomprehensible.
The
Everything in Nature has a threefold aspect.
highest aspect of alchemy is the regeneration of man
in the spirit of God out of the material elements of his

The physical body itself is the greatest
physical body.
of mysteries, because in it are contained in a condensed,
solidified,

to

and corporeal

make up

state the very essences

which go

the substance of the spiritual man, and this

ALCHEM Y AND ASTROLOG Y
"

239

The sign in
the Cross, because
man roots with his material elements in the earth, penetrates with his soul through the animal forces of Nature,
the secret of the

is

Philosopher's Stone"

which the true alchemist works

is

while his higher nature reaches above the animal creation
into the realm of immortality.
The next aspect of alchemy is the knowledge of the
nature of the invisible elements, constituting the astral

bodies of things.
Each thing is a trinity having a body
and a spirit held together by the soul,1 which is the cause
and the law. Physical bodies are acted upon by physical

matter ; the elements of the soul are acted upon by the
soul, and the conscious spirit of the enlightened guides
and controls the action of matter and soul By the
power of the spirit material elements may be sublimated
into invisible elements, or invisible substances be coagulated and become visible.
Instances of this may be
"
occasionally seen in
spiritualistic seances," although in
such cases the alchemist who produces them is invisible.

The lowest

aspect of alchemy is the preparation, puriand combination of physical substances, and
from this science has grown the science of modern
chemistry, which in its present state is a great advancement over the lower aspect of old chemistry, but which

fication,

has lost sight entirely of the higher aspects of Nature.
higher advancement of the science of chemistry will

A

Chemistry
bring it again into contact with alchemy.
decomposes and recombines material substances in certain
proportions ; it purifies simple substances of all foreign
elements, and leaves the primitive elements unchanged ;
but alchemy changes the character of things, and raises

them up

into higher states of existence.

this power, not
is

required.

mere mechanical

"A

person

To

exercise

labour, but artistic skill

who composes a

chemical pre-

paration by manual labour and according to certain rules
1

" Hormos

Mpiiit

said that the soul alone

is

the

and hody are united" (Generat. Iterum.,

medium by means
L).

of

which

PARACELSUS

240
is

a chemist

the tailor

who manufactures a

the weaver

;

who makes a

may be

coat,

cloth,

and

called alchemists,

because neither clothes nor coats are grown by Nature.
The chemist imitates Nature, the artist surpasses her;
the labourer lends his hands to Nature, so that she may

The artist makes
accomplish something through him.
use of the material with which Nature provides him,
and develops something that exists germinally in Nature.
The painter who daubs a wall is a chemist; his work
The artist who composes
requires skill, but no genius.
a picture is an alchemist, because he embodies an idea,
and puts his own character into his work." To understand correctly the meaning of the words alchemy and
is

astrology, it

understand the intimate

necessary to

relationship and the identity of the Microcosm and MacAll the powers of
rocosm, and their mutual interaction.
the universe are potentially contained in man, and man's
physical body and all his organs are nothing else but
products and representatives of the powers of Nature.
The Microcosm and Macrocosm may not only " be compared together," but they are really and actually essentially one in their power, and one in the constitution of
their elements.

" If I have

1
'

manna

c

manna

'

'

from heaven.
only in the garden, but also in the
I can attract
'

Saturn'

is

m my
'

air

constitution,

Melissa

and

'

is

riot

in heaven.

not only in the sky, but also deep in the
What is 'Venus' but the

and in the ocean.

earth
'

'

Artemisia' that grows in your garden ? What is iron
but Mars ?
That is to say, Venus and Artemisia are
both the products of the same essence, and Mars and
iron are both the manifestations of the same cause.
c

J

'

What

the

human body but a

constellation of the

same

lie
powers that formed the stars in the sky?
knows what iron is, knows the attributes of Mars.

who

is

who knows Mars, knows the
1

"Man,

elements

"

qualities of

being the son of the Microcosm,

(De

Pcste).

IKIS in

him

iron.

also all th

He
What

iiiinrral

ALCHEM Y AND ASTROLOG Y

241

would become of your heart if there were no sun in the
universe ?
What would be the use of your vasa spermatlca
if there were no Venus ?
To grasp the invisible
'

'

elements

;

ences; to

to attract

power of

living

(Paragran.

them by

their material correspond-

and transform them by the
this is true alchemy"
Spirit

control, purify,

the

i.).

THE SEVEN PLANETS
The

"

Seven Planets

"

are the Seven Principles which
constitute the universe, and which are at least "poten"
contained in everything.
Paracelsus speaks of
tially

them

in a very mystical language, as follows

:

"There are seven elementary powers or principles
four lower ones belonging to mortal and changeable
things (Sthula sharira, Linga sharira, Prana, and Kama),
and a trinity of celestial power (Atma Buddhi Manas),
The four
which is also called the qwinta, essentia.
elements (lower principles) can in no way interfere
The heavenly and the hellish
with the guinta essentia.

power is not obedient to the four elementary powers,
but each section stands for itself" (De Mercurio, vol. vi.
P- 378).
This goes to show that to the spiritual kingdom belongs a state of consciousness different from the lower
states of consciousness, and having nothing in common
with them.
Spirituality is, therefore, not to be considered as a state of high intellectual development, but
it is an awakening to an entirely different and higher
state of consciousness, which may take place in persons
of high intellectual development, but far oftener in those
who are unsophisticated and of a simple mind.

The "Seven Planets"
scribed in his

"

are

equally mysteriously de-

Ccelum Philosophorum

"

:

the knowledge of the
Wisdom;
soul that realises the truth, and which has nothing to do
I.

$ Mercury.

i.e. 9

Q

PARACELSUS

242

with the action of the intellect, that consists in collecting
"
All things are hidden within
and comparing ideas.
One of them is their concealer, and at the
all
things.

same time

their

body and

vehicle, external, visible,

and

All things are revealed within this vehicle,
movable.
has
a
is
for it
corporified spirit ; but the spirit thereof

no name."

"Mercury
Nature

is

Translated into modern language this means :
The whole of
represents divine wisdom.

a vehicle and visible manifestation of the wisdom

God Himself cannot be

God; but
the universal
of

ledge,

life,

and the

V

2.

the root of

will of divine

all

He

described.

consciousness and

is

know-

wisdom."

Universal primordial substance and
Jupiter.
"
Within the body of Jupiter are contained all

power.
the other six metals in a spiritual state, each always
still deeper hidden and more remote than the one that
precedes." This means that, of all the seven principles,
each contains the other six either actively or potentially.

Thus, even within a stone or an oyster there is a hidden
spark of divinity, such as may become conscious and manifest in the constitution of
3.

$ Mars.

man.

Universal energy.

The will.

"Mars, owing

to its combative energy, is enabled to gain glory and to
assume the place of the king. Care will have to bo taken

become captured. We must see how
"
him up and combine
and
with *2 iu the

that he does not

we can

raise

This indicates that we should seek to
place of Mars."
attain a powerful will, but avoid letting that will become
subservient to matter ( *2 ).
This is done by

true love is the spiritual recognition ot> the true self.
"
The six other metals have formed a corruptible external
body with the quality of Venus ; but all combustible

things

can be changed by the power of
that

human

purities,

love

is

at present

but when the true

fire/'

This

is to

say

bound up with many im-

fire

of love awakens, these

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY

243

impurities will burn away and leave us in possession of
unadulterated wisdom.

The Life-principle. Saturn says:
5. *1 Saturn.
six brothers have
relegated me and expelled me from
the spiritual kingdom.
They have forced me to live in

"My

a corruptible form.
they refuse to be.

I have to submit to be that which

My

body is attracted to the earth, so
that everything I embrace becomes earthly ; but it would
not be well for the world to know all the virtue hidden in

me and all that I may accomplish." This means that the
human mind (Manas) is the connecting-link between spirit
and matter. If the inquisitive scientist were to know
the divine life within his own constitution, and could
develop it before he has attained innocence and virtue,
he would become an incarnate devil instead of a god.
" The
6. C Luna
Moon. Imagination.
principal
It is the
thing to know in regard to Luna is its origin.
seventh metal, containing the six others in a spiritual
This
state, and it is externally corporeal and material."

goes to show that Luna, in its external aspect, means
matter with its phenomena, which are always illusive as
long as we do not

know

their true origin.

If

we wish
we

to gain absolute knowledge of all things in Nature,
must attain the knowledge of God.
7.

O

Sol

Shin.

and has within

The Life, or Wisdom.

"

It is pure

the other six metals (prinfire,
that
exists
is a manifestation and
Everything
ciples)."
from which all
in
the
the
one
life
of
universe,
product
itself all

"

for that which
things receive their vitality and powers ;
is visible is merely the vehicle, but the element therein is a
in the body.
spirit, and lives in all things as the soul lives

This is the prima materia of the elements, invisible and incomprehensible, but nevertheless present in all ; for prima
materia is nothing else than the life itself in all creatures.

The above extracts will be quite sufficient to show
that the modern method of thinking scientifically, which
deals only with external phenomena, and with comparing
insufficient for our
opinions referring to them, is quite
initiation into the mysteries of alchemy, and that this
study requires a mind capable to look upon the world

not as being made up of many separate pieces, but as
one great and indivisible organism, pervaded by co-existing spiritual powers, whose outward manifestation is the
realm of phenomena.
Alchemy studies not merely phe-

nomena, but

What
the soul ?

it is

the science of the soul of

all things.

know about things of

does material science
Chemistry is a science which deals with the

chemical combination, separation, and recombination of
Alchemy deals with the purifiphysical substances.
cation

and combination of

astral

elements, and

with

the development of lower forms and lower states into

higher ones.

By

chemistry

we may

purify physical
foreign elements, and divest them
of physical impurities, but their own element will not
be changed.
By alchemy we raise a principle into a

substances from

all

The processes
higher and purer state of development.
in Nature by which combinations and decompositions
of matter take place, such as putrefaction, caused by the
contact of a substance with

air,

and the chemical com-

binations of two or more substances

coming into contact
with each other, are chemical processes.
The growth of
a tree out of a seed, the evolution of worlds, the develop-

ment

of precious metals out of an apparently worthless
matrix, the growth of a foetus, the development of an

animal or a
because

human

life itself

being, &c., are alchemical processes,
enters into these processes, as a factor,

and they would not take place without the action of
life.

1

1

Johannes

Tritheim, Abbot of Spanheim, one of the greatest alchemists,
theologians, and astrologers, a learned and highly esteemed man, iimkufl
some remarks in his book (printed at Passau, 1506) that may holt) to

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY

245

Planets are states of mind, and as the mind has a
higher and a lower aspect, consequently each planet has

two aspects correspondingly.

its

its higher aspect is the smybol of wisdom,
in its lower aspect that of the intellect.
Jupiter in its higher aspect represents majesty, in its

Mercury in

lower aspect energy.

He says : "The
light on the perplexing subject of alchemy.
art of divine magic consists in the ability to perceive the essence of things
in the light of Nature, and by using the soul-powers of the spirit to
produce material things from the unseen universe (A'kasa), and in such
throw some

operations the Above (the Macrocosm) and the Below (the Microcosm)
must be brought together and made to act harmoniously. The spirit
of Nature is a unity, creating and forming everything, and by acting

through the instrumentality of

man

it

may

produce wonderful things.

Such processes take place according to law. You will learn the law by
which these things are accomplished, if you learn to know yourself. You
will know it by the power of the spirit that is in yourself, and accomplish
it by mixing your spirit with the essence that comes out of yourself.
If
you wish to succeed in such a work you mast know how to separate spirit
and life in Nature, and, moreover, to separate the astral soul in yourself
and to make it tangible, and then the substance of the soul will appear
visibly and tangibly, rendered objective by the power of the spirit. Christ
speaks of the salt, and the salt is of a threefold nature. Gold is of a
threefold nature, and there is an ethereal, ""a fluid, and a material gold.
It is the same gold, only in three different states ; and gold in one state
may be made into gold in another state. But such mysteries should not
be divulged, because the fool and scoffer will laugh at it, and to him who is
'

covetous they will be a temptation."

I wish to

[Notice.

warn the

reader,

who might be

inclined to

try any of the alchemical prescriptions contained in this book,
not to do so unless he is an alchemist, because, although I know
from personal observation that these prescriptions are not only
allegorically but literally true, and will prove successful in the
hands of an alchemist, they would only cause a waste of time

who has not the necessary qualiperson who wants to be an alchemist must have in
himself the "magnesia," which means the magnetic power to
attract and "coagulate" invisible astral elements. This power is
"
only possessed "by those who are Initiates." Those who do not
and money
fications.

in the hands of one

A

know what
and

it

know

this expression means are not "reborn" (or initiated),
cannot be explained to them. But he who is initiated will
he will know
it, and needs no instruction from books, because

his instructor.]

PARACELSUS

246

spiritual power, but also in
&c.
of
passion,
strength
aspect
Venus in its higher aspect is divine love,

Mars represents

its

lower

identical

with self-knowledge ; in its lower aspect, desire.
Saturn is the life in the universe, and in another
aspect

it

represents matter.

The spiritual
The Sun is the fountain of all life.
snn is the symbol of spiritual life and immortality, the
physical sun the source of vitality.
The Moon in its higher aspect represents spiritual
substance, the glorified soul; in its lower aspect it is
the symbol of imagination and fancy.
"

Separation is the cause of existence, the birth of
It is the greatest
things from the Myst&rium magmim.
wonder known to practical philosophy ; it is a divino

He who can attract things out of
art.
magnum (A'kasa) is a true alchemist."
by those who

the Mysteriinn
This power is
1

are spiritually developed.
Nature continually exercises that art through the organis"
As the fowl
ing power of the invisible astral body.

possessed only

produces a chicken with wings and legs out of the
small microcosm contained in the shell of an egg, so
the arcana of Nature are ripened by the processes of

Natural alchemy causes the pear to ripen, and
alchemy.
Natural alchemy separates
produces grapes on a vine.
the useful elements from the food that is put into tho
it into chyle and blood, into muscles
and bones, and rejects that which is useless. A physician
who knows nothing of alchemy can only be a servant of
Nature, however well he may be versed in the science

stomach, transforms

of external things; but the alchemist is her lord.
It*
the physician cannot infuse vitality into decaying parts,
he cannot effect a cure, but must wait until Nature

accomplishes the task ; but he who can guide the power
life can guide and command Nature."

of

Spiritual development is not dependent on intellectual acquirttnuntx,
and there are sometimes portions that are ignorant in worldly
thingn, but

who

nevertheless possess great spiritual powers.

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY

247

Alchemy is described by Paracelsus as an art in
which Vulcan (the fire of
Nature) is the active artist.
By this art the pure is separated from the impure, and
things are made to grow out of primordial matter
(A'kasa).
Alchemy renders perfect what Nature has
left imperfect, and
purifies all things by the power of
the spirit that

is

contained in them.

SALT, SULPHUR, AND
* All
things

(man included)

aud

MERCURY

are composed out of three

things have their number, their
Health exists when the
weight, and their measure.
three substances constituting a thing preserve their
substances,

all

normal proportion of quantity and quality; disease results if this proportion becomes abnormal.
These three
1
substances are called Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt.
These
three substances are not seen with the physical eye, but
a true physician should see them nevertheless, and be
able to separate them from each other. That which is
perceptible to the

who

senses

may

be seen by everybody

not a physician; but a physician should be able
There are
to see things that not everybody can see.
natural physicians, and there are artificially made physiis

The former see things which the latter cannot
and the others dispute the existence of such things
because they cannot perceive them.
They see the

cians.
see,

exterior of things, but the true physicians see the inThe inner man is the substantial reality, while
terior.

the outer one is only an apparition, and therefore the
true physician sees the real man, and the quack sees only

an

illusion."

"The
1

three substances

are held

together in forms

This does not, of course, refer to the chemical substances known to us
" No one can
or
describe the virtues

by these names.

sufficiently
express
contained in the three substances; therefore every alchemist and true
physician ought to seek in them all his life unto his death ; then would
"
his labour surely find its just reward
(De Morte Rerun).

PARACELSUS

248

1
If you take the three invisible
by the power of life.
substances and add to them the power of life, you will
The
have three invisible substances in a visible form.

three

constitute the

by

life,

form, and become separated only
They are hidden

power of life deserts them.
and joined together by life.

after the

Their combined

of the form, and only
qualities constitute the qualities
manitheir
when life departs
separate qualities become
health
in
due
united
are
If
the
three
fest.
proportions,

form; but

exists in the

one

will putrefy

if

they become separated, the
Man does not
will burn.

and the other

see the action of these three substances as long as they
held together by life, but he may perceive their

are

their form.
qualities at the time of the destruction of
invisible fire is in the sulphur, the soluble element

The

in the

salt,

and the

volatile

element in the mercury.

burns, the mercury produces smoke, and the salt
remains in the ashes; but as long as the form is alive
*
there is neither fire, nor ashes, nor smoke."

The

fire

1

"The sophist says that nothing living can come out of dead Biib
stances, but no substance is dead, and they know nothing about the
alchemical labour.
The death of a man is surely nothing but the
separation of the three substances of which his body is composed, and
the death of a metal is the taking away of its corporeal form " (De Mortc
JRervan).
a

"The

three Substances are three forms or aspects of the one uniwhich everything was created ; for the unmanifested Absolute in manifesting itself reveals itself as a
of
versal will-substance out of

trinity

cause, action,

and

effect;

father, son,

and the holy ghost; body, mml,

and spirit.
"It is

therefore, above all, necessary that we should realise- the
nature of the three Substances as they exist in the Macrocosm and
recognise their qualities, and we shall then also know thir nature ami
attributes in the Microcosm of man.
That which burns and appears

to the eye
is of

of a volatile (spiritual) nature;
the Salt; and the Mercury is that
which may be sublimated by the action of the fire. It is invisible in
its condition of Prima materia, but in its ultimate state it
may be H*-n ;
and as the whole constitution of man conhists of these throe Butmt-LnrrH,
consequently there are three modes in which dfaeaft'R may originatr*,
As limg ai
namely, in the SwZpAwr, in the Mercury, or in the Salt.
fiery

that which

is

the Sulphur,

it is

a material nature

is

these three Substances are full of life they are in health, but

when they

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY

U$

"There are hundreds of different kinds of salt,
sulphur, and mercury in the universe and in the
human system, and the greatest arcana (potencies)
are

contained

them
tree
sees

in

them.

All

things

are

hidden in

same sense as a pear is hidden in a pearand grapes in a vine.
The superficial observer
only that which exists for his senses, but the
in the

A

sight discovers the things of the future.
gardener knows that a vine will produce no pears,
and a pear-tree no grapes.
The ignorant speak of
heat and cold, of dryness and moisture, of sweetness
and acidity, of bitterness and astringency, without
knowing the cause that produces such qualities; but
the wise recognise in them the qualities of the stars"
interior

(Paragramm).
"
Let no one be so

foolish as to imagine that Alchemy
can easily be understood and be made common property.
If you want to make the sphere of Saturn run in
harmony with earthly life, you may put all the planets
Of Lu,na, however, you must not take too
therein.
much; only a little. Let it all run until the heaven
of Saturn entirely disappears; then will the planets
remain.
They will have died in their corruptible bodies
and taken an incorruptible perfect body. This is the
life and spirit of heaven which causes the planets to
live

again and become corporified as before" (Gcdurn

PhilosopTwrum)

.

The remedy by which, according

to Paracelsus, rejuve-

nation (regeneration) could be accomplished

is

something

become separated disease will be the result. Where such a separation
begins there is the origin of disease and the beginning of death. There
are many kinds of Sulphur, of Mercury, and of Salt ; that which belongs
to Sulphur should be made into Sulphur, so that it may burn; what
belongs to Mercury should be made to sublimate and ascend; what
belongs to Salt should be resolved into Salt"
"To explain the qualities of the three Substances it would be necessary to explain the qualities of the Prima materia ; but as the Prima
matcria mundi was the Fiat (Logos), who would dare to attempt to
explain it?"

PARACELSUS

2 5o

entirely different
be by his critics.

substances,

destroys

all

from what

it

has been supposed to

compound of chemical
but an Arcan/urn, "an invisible fire, which
"
The Materia,
diseases" (Tinct. Phys., vii.)It is not a

1

the greatest treasure in the world."
Paracelsus was an enemy of endless prescriptions, and

Tinctura
of

all

is

the daubing and greasing, quackery and nastiwith the apothecaryship of his time.

ness, connected

He

bottles,

"What

say to you about all your
and
prescriptions; about all your retorts
all
of
and
your
crucibles, mortars,
glasses;

the tomfoolery for which you throw away your time
and your money ? All such things are useless, and the
labour for it is lost.
They are rather an impediment
all

But he was a
than a help to arrive at the truth."
to
work entitled
his
In
the
alchemist.
preface
practical
"
"
"
I have a treasure buried
Tinctura Physica he says :
at the hospital at Weiden (Friaul), which is a jewel of
such a value that neither Pope Leo nor the Emperor
1
The "tinctura physicorum" is a great alchemical mystery.
TrismegistuB of Egypt, Oius of Greece, Kali, an Arab, and Albertus
Magnus of Germany were acquainted with it It is also called the Red
Lion, and is mentioned in many alchemical works, but was actually
known to few. Its preparation is extremely difficult, as there in tho

presence of two perfectly harmonious people, equsdly skilful, necatwary
It is said to be a red ethereal fluid, capable of trans-

for that purpose.

muting all inferior metals into gold, and having other wonderful virtues.
There is an old church in the vicinity of Kenysten, a town in th Honth
of Bavaria, where this tincture is said to bo till buried in the
ground.
In the year 1698 some of it penetrated through the poll, and the phcuo.
menon was witnessed by many people, who believed it to be a xnr;u:l.
A church was therefore erected at that place, and it in still a well-known
place of pilgrimage. In regard to the material (if it may bu HO callfd)
" li
used for the
of this
:
medicine, Paracelsus
preparation

great

any*

careful not to take anything

from the lion but the rou-colnurt'd blood,
and from the white eagle only the white gluten. Coagulate (corporify)
it according to the directions
given by the ancients, and you will have tltr
tinctura phyricorum. But if this is incomprehensible to you,
who desires with his whole heart will fun!, and to

that only he

who knocks

strong enough the door shall be opened."

nmtumbrr
him only

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOG Y

251

it with all their wealth, and those
are acquainted with the spagyric art (alchemy) will
confirm what I say." l

Carolus could buy

who

" True
or
Alchemy which teaches how to make
out of the five imperfect metals, requires no other

materials, but- only the

The

metals.

made out of the imperfect
and with them alone; for with
are

(phantasy), but in the metals is

metals

perfect

them

metals, through

other things
Sol (wisdom)."

is Lu/na,

CHARMS

The power

of certain

substances to absorb and to

retain certain planetary influences is used for the purpose
of investing them with occult qualities.
Pure metals

and in.
and
other
way amulets, "magic mirrors,"
things
that will produce magic effects are prepared.
Para-

may

be used by the alchemist

for that purpose,

this

celsus says:

"The compositions of the astra of metals produce
If we make a composition of seven
wonderful effects.
metals in the proper order and at the proper time, we
will obtain a metal which contains all the virtues of the
seven.

Such a composition

is

called

c

electrum.

a

It

possesses the virtues of the seven metals that enter
into its composition, and the electrum is one of the
most valuable preparations known to secret science.

The ordinary metals cannot be compared with it on
vessel made of the
account of its magic power.
electrum will immediately indicate it, if any poisonous
substance has been surreptitiously put into it, because

A

it

will begin to sweat

on

its outside."

"Many wonderful things can be made of this electrum, such as amulets, charms, magic finger-rings, armrings, seals,
1

If

figures, mirrors,

we remember

bells,

medals, and

many

that the wise ones will lay up their treasures in

heaven, the above passage becomes easily comprehensible.

PARACELSUS

252

other things possessing great magic powers, of which
very little is publicly known, because our art has been
neglected,

that

and the majority of men do not even know

it exists."

"It would not be proper to explain all the virtues and
powers of the electrum, because the sophist would begin
to blaspheme, and the ignorant would become angry;
the idiot would ridicule and the wicked misuse it ; and

we

are therefore forced to be silent in regard to some of
But there are a few wonderful

its principal virtues.

qualities

We

which

it

possesses,

and of which we

will speak.

have observed them personally, and we know that
are speaking the truth.
We have seen finger-rings

we
made

of the electram that cured their wearers of

spasms

paralytic affections, of epilepsy and apoplexy; and
the application of such a ring, even during the most
violent paroxysm of an epileptic attack, was always fol-

and

We have seen such a ring
lowed by immediate relief.
at
to
sweat
the
begin
beginning of a hidden disease."
"The electrnm

is

antipathetic to all evil influences,

it a heavenly power and
the seven planets.
Therefore the
and
Chaldeans
and
of
Persia used
the
Egyptians
Magi

because there

is

the influence of

it

hidden in

all

against evil spirits, and made great discoveries by its
If I were to tell all I know about the virtues of

use.

the electram, the sophists would denounce

me

for

being

the greatest sorcerer in the world."
"
I will, however, say that I have

known a person in
Spain who possessed a bell made out of the electrum,
and weighing about two pounds, and by ringing that
bell he could cause various kinds of spectres and
apparitions to appear, and they would obey his commands.
Before using the bell he always wrote some words or
characters on its inside.
He then rang the bell, and
immediately the spirits appeared in such a shape as he

ordered them to take.

He was

even able to attract by

the sound of that bell the spectres of

men

or animals,

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY

253

them away when they were not wanted;
and whenever he wanted another spirit to appear he
wrote some other characters on the inside of that bell
He refused to tell me the secret of these words and
characters, but I meditated about it, and found it out
or to drive

myself."
" You need not be
surprised to hear that such things
are possible, because everything is possible, if it is consistent with natural laws.

man by

his name,

One man may

and order him

to

call

another

do certain things,

the latter respects the former, or is awed by his
superiority, he will obey his order without being forced

and

if

to do so with a

weapon or

stick.

On

invisible beings

man has still more
be
can
made to obey the
being

effect, and an inferior
will of a superior one
by the force of the mere thought of a word, because the
lower is subject to the higher, and the inferior to the
superior, and what else is the will but a power hidden
in the thought (mind) of man, and becoming active
1
But the thought of man is
through his imagination.
as potent to impress a spirit as the spoken word is to
impress the mind of a man, for spirits have no physical
ears to hear physical sounds, and the voice is only needed

the will of

2

for those who cannot hear in the spirit."
"
If the astral element in man can be sent into another

man by

spirit, such an astral
in
be
embedded
metals and leave its
may
influence in them, and thereby the metal can be raised
into a higher state than the one into which it was put

the power of his Olympic

element

also

3
by Nature."
1

The power that man may

silently exercise over animals is well

known.

8

It does not require the sound of our voice to bring the image of some
object before our imagination, and if we see the image of a thing in our

mind, and realise its presence, it actually exists for us, and thus a spirit
may be brought into a form by the power of imagination.
8 This remark throws some
light on alchemical processes, and goes to
show that it is not the " magnetism" of the planets alone, but also the
soul-essence of the operator, that is to he bound, and the two connected
together in the metal by the process described below.

PARACELSUS

254

THE ELECTRUM MAGICUM
The electrwm, magwum is prepared as follows :
"Take ten parts of pure gold, ten of silver,

five

of

of powdered
copper, two of tin, two of lead, one part
must be
these
metals
All
iron, and five of mercury.

Now

when iihe planets Saturn
into conjunction, and have all your
preparations ready for that occasion ; have the fire, the
crucible, the mercury, and the lead ready, so that there
pure.

wait for the hour

and Mercury come

be no delay.when the time of the conjunction arrives,
work must be done during the moments of the
As soon as this takes place melt the lead
conjunction.
and add the mercury, and let it cool. After this has
will

for the

been done, wait for a conjunction of Jupiter with Saturn

and Mercury, melt the compound of lead and mercury
in a crucible, and in another crucible the tin, and pour
the two metals together at the moment of such conYou must now wait until a conjunction of
junction.
the sun with either one or both of the above-named
planets takes place, and then add the gold to the comAt a time of a
pound after melting it previously.
of
the
moon
with
the
sun, Saturn, or Merconjunction
the
is
silver
added
likewise, and at a time of a
cury,
of
Venus
with
one of the above-named
conjunction
planets the copper

is added.
Finally, at a time of such
a conjunction with Mars, the whole is completed by the
addition of the powdered iron.
Stir the fluid mass with

a dry rod of witch-hazel, and
*

Of

this electrum

let it cool."

*

magicum you may make a mirror

in which you will see the events of the past and the present, absent friends or enemies, and what they are doin#.

You
all
1

will see in it

the doings of

any object you may

men

desire to see,

and

You

will

in daytime or at night.

All the above-mentioned conjunctions take place in our solar system
in the course of thirteen successive months, but the directions refer to
conjunctions of principles contained in the Microcosm of man.

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY
see in

255

anything that has ever been written down, said,

it

or spoken in the past, and also see the person who said
it, and the causes that made him say what he did, and
1
anything, however secret it may have been kept."
" Such mirrors are made of the electrum
are

made

of the diameter of about

to be founded at a time

when

magicum; they
two inches. They are

a conjunction of Jupiter

place, and moulds made of fine sand are
Grind the mirrors smooth with
used for that purpose.
a grindstone, and polish them with tripoli, and with a
All the operations
piece of wood from a linden-tree.

and Venus takes

made with the mirror, the grinding, polishing, &c., should
take place under favourable planetary aspects, and by
selecting the proper hours three different mirrors may
be prepared. At a time of a conjunction of two good
same time the sun or the moon
house of the lord of the hour of your
birth/ the three mirrors are to be laid together into pure
well-water, and left to remain there for an hour.
They
must then be removed from the water, enveloped in a
2
linen cloth, and be preserved for use."
planets,

when

stands on the

at the
'

PALINGENESIS

Nothing in Nature is dead, and alchemy does not
The old alchemists were
deal with inanimate things.
believers in the possibility of spontaneous generation, and

by the
which

action of psychical powers they created forms in
became manifest. They could generate living

life

8

beings in closed bottles, or by the Palingenesis of plants
or animals, cause the astral form of a plant or an animal
1

is

That is to say, you may come en rapport with the astral light, which
the aensorium of the world, and in which the " memory " or impression

of everything is preserved.
2 It would be useless to
give detailed descriptions of processes that cannot be followed out by any one who does not possess the necessary magic

(magnetic) power, and those who possess the power will hardly require
such descriptions, in which allegories are strangely mixed with truths.
8

See Appendix*

PARACELSUS

256

visible again, and to resurrect from its ashes.
of the greatest secrets, however, is the generation of
without
beings like men or women, that were generated
and which were called
the assistance of a female

to

become

One

Homunculi.

organism,
Paracelsus speaks about

them as follows :

HOMONCULI
"

Human beings may come into existence without
That is to say, such beings grow
natural parents.
without being developed and born by a female organism ;
by the art of an experienced spagyricus (alchemist)."
De Natwra Serum, vol. i
"The generatio homimwdi has until now been kept
very secret, and so little was publicly known about it
that the old philosophers have doubted its possibility.
But I know that such things may be accomplished by
If the spenna,
spagyric art assisted by natural processes.
enclosed in a hermetically sealed glass, is buried in horse

manure

for about forty days,
begins to live and to move.

and properly

*

magnetised/
After such a time it bears
the form and resemblance of a human being, but it will
If it is now artibe transparent and without a corpus.
it

l

fed with the arcanum sanguinis hominis until it
about forty weeks old, and if allowed to remain during

ficially

is

that time in the horse-manure in a continually equal
temperature, it will grow into a human child, with all
its members developed like any other child, such as could
have been born by a woman only it will be much smaller.
We call such a being a homunculus, and it may be raised
and educated like any other child, until it grows older
and obtains reason and intellect, and is able to take care
of itself. This is one of the greatest secrets, and it ought
to remain a secret until the days approach when all secrets
2
will be known."
;

1
Without
form become

8

this

arcanum the experiment would not succeed, nor the

visible.

Paracelsus has been reproached for his belief in the possibility of
; but a deeper insight into the processes of Nature

generating homnncnli

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY
It

257

seems to be useless to quote any more alchemistical

prescriptions of Paracelsus, or of any other alchemist.
To the uninitiated they are unintelligible; while the
initiated,

having the light of the

spirit for his teacher,

not necessarily impossible. Modem authoMoleschott thinks that we may
rities believe it to be not impossible.
perhaps yet succeed in establishing conditions by which organic forms
can be generated ; Liebig is of the opinion that chemistry will yet
succeed in making organic substances by artificial means. Goethe says in
his "Faust ":
will

show that such a thing

is

"And

such a brain, that has the power to think,
Will in the future be produced by a thinker."
Where no germ is present such a generation would certainly be impossible ; but chickens can be artificially hatched out, and perhaps homunouli
may be developed. There seem to be some historic evidences that such
things have been accomplished, as the following account will show :
In a book called "The Sphinx," edited by Dr. Emil Besetzny, and published at Vienna in 1873 by L. Bosner (Tuohlauben, No. 22), we find some
"
"
interesting accounts in regard to a number of spirits
generated by a
in
in
the
of
Joh. Ferd, Count
Kueffstein,
year 1775. The sources
Tyrol,
from which these accounts are taken consist in masonic manuscripts and
prints, but more especially in a diary kept by a certain Jas. Kammerer,
who acted in the capacity of butler and famulus to the said Count. There
were ten homunculi or, as he calls them, "prophesying spirits" preserved in strong bottles, such as are used to preserve fruit, and which were
"
were the product of the labour of
filled with water ; and these "spirits
the Count J. F. of Kueffstein (Kufstein), and of an Italian Mystic and
Bosicrucian, Abbe* Geloni. They were made in the course of five weeks,
and consisted of a king, a queen, a knight, a monk, a nun, an architect, a
" The bottles were
miner, a seraph, and finally of a blue and a red spirit
closed with ox-bladders, and with a great magic seal (Solomon's seal ?).
The spirits swam about in those bottles, and were about one span long,
and the Count was very anxious that they should grow. They were
therefore buried under two cart-loads of horse-manure, and the pile daily
sprinkled with a certain liquor, prepared with great trouble by the two
'
adepts, and made out of some very disgusting materials.' The pile of
manure began after such sprinklings to ferment and to steam as if heated
by a subterranean fire, and at least once every three days, when everything was quiet, at the approach of the night, the two gentlemen would
leave the convent and go to pray and to fumigate at that pile of manure.
After the bottles were removed the ' spirits ' had grown to be each one
about one and a half span long, so that the bottles were almost too
small to contain them, and the male homunculi had come into possession
of heavy beards, and the nails of their fingers and toes had grown a great
deal.
By some means the Abbe* Schiloni provided them with appropriate
In the bottle of the
clothing, each one according to his rank and dignity.
red and in that of the blue spirit, however, there was nothing to be seen

PARACELSUS

258

not require them.

will

But those who condemn the

ancient occultists for their supposed ignorance and superstition would do well to remember that it requires a
to believe that great
vastly greater amount of credulity
reformers in science and men possessed of wisdom, such
but dear water' ; but whenever tbe Abbe* knocked three times at the seal
upon the month of the bottles, speaking at the same time some Hebrew
words, the water in the bottles began to turn blue (respectively red), and
the blue and the red spirits would show their faces, first very small, but
growing in proportions until they attained the size of an ordinary human
The face of the blue spirit was beautiful, like an angel, but that of
face.
the red one bore a horrible expression.
" These
beings were fed by the Count about once every three or four
days with some rose-coloured substance which he kept in a silver box, and
Once
of which he gave to each spirit a pill of about the size of a pea.
every week the water had to be removed, and the bottles filled again with
pure rain-water. This change had to be accomplished very rapidly, because during the few moments that the spirits were exposed to the air
they closed their eyes, aud seemed to become weak and unconscious, as if
they were about to die. But the blue spirit was never fed, nor was the
water changed 5 while the red one received once a week a thimbleful of
fresh blood of some animal (chicken), and this blood disappeared in the
water as soon as it was poured into it, without colouring or troubling it.
The water containing the red spirit had to be changed once every two or
three days. As soon as the bottle was opened it became dark and cloudy,
and emitted an odour of rotten eggs.
" In the course of time these
spirits grew to be about two spans long,
and their bottles were now alinoat too small for them to stand erect ;
the Count therefore provided them with appropriate seats.
These bottles
were carried to the place where the Masonic Lodge of which the Count was
the presiding Master met, and after each meeting they were carried back
again.
During the meetings the spirits gave prophecien about future
events that usually proved to be correct. They knew the most secret
things, but each of them was only acquainted with such things as be'

longed to his station : for instance, the king could talk politic^ the monk
about religion, the miner about minmals, &c. ; but the blue and the red

seemed to know everything.
powers are given in the original.)
"
some accident the

spirits

By

floor,

facts proving their clairvoyant

monk fell one day upon the
died after a few painful respirathe efforts of the Count to save his life, and his
body

and was broken.

tions, in spite of all

(Some

glass containing the

The poor monk

was buried in the garden. An attempt to generate another one, made
by
the Count without the assistance of the Abbe*, who had left, resulted in
failure, as it produced only a small thing like a leech, which had very
little vitality, and soon died.
" One
day the king escaped from hit* bottle, which had not been properly sealed, and was found by Kammerer sitting on the top of the bottle

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY

259

Johannes Tritheim, Van Helmont, and
have consented to write whole volumes
of such intolerable rubbish as such writings would certainly be if they were to be taken in a literal meaning,
than to believe
that great
as is actually the case
as

Paracelsus,

others, should

were thus hidden behind allegories that
were intended to be understood only by those who possessed the key in their own hearts.
spiritual truths

Although Paracelsus asserts that it is possible to make
gold and silver by chemical means, and that some persons
have succeeded in making it,1 still he condemns such
containing the qneen, attempting to scratch with his nails the seal away,
and to liberate her. In answer to the servant's call for help, the Count
rushed in, and after a prolonged chase caught the king, who, from his
long exposure to the air and the want of his appropriate element, had
become faint, and was replaced into his bottle not, however, without
succeeding to scratch the nose of the Count."
It seems that the Count of Kufstein in later years became anxious for
the salvation of his soul, and considered it incompatible with the requirements of his conscience to keep those spirits longer in his possession,
and that he got rid of them in some manner not mentioned by the scribe.
will not make an attempt at comment, but would advise those who
are curious about this matter to read the book from which the above
account is an extract. There can be hardly any doubt as to its veracity,
because some historically well-known persons, such as Count Max Lam-

We

saw them, and they posand it seems that they
what appears to be more probable,

The following is a prescription how to make artificial gold, taken from
an old alchemistical MS., and a marginal note says that an experiment
tried with it proved successful -.Take equal parts of powdered iron, sublimated sulphur, and crude antimony. Melt it in a crucible, and keep it
Powder it, and calcinate it until the sulphur
in red heat for eight hours.
Mix two parts of this powder with one part of calcinated
is evaporated.
borax, and melt it again. Powder and dissolve it in common muriatic
The fluid is
acid, and let it stand in a moderate heat for one month.
then to be put into a retort and distilled, and the fluid that collects in
the recipient (the muriatic acid) is returned into the retort and again distilled, and this is repeated three times ; the third time a red powder will
be left in the retort (probably a mixture of muriate of iron with antimoninm oxide). This powder is to be dissolved in the menstruum phUoaophicuin, (made by pouring chloride of antimony into water, filtering, and
1

evaporating the fluid to a certain extent, to

make

it stronger).

The sola-

PARACELSUS

260

external experiments as useless in the end, and it seems
be more than probable that, even in such chemical

to

experiments as may have succeeded, something more
than merely chemical manipulations was required to make

them successful. 1
"
The heavenly

fire which comes to us from the sun,
or acts within the earth, is not such a fire as is in

heaven, neither like our fire upon the earth; but the
celestial fire is with us a cold, stiff, frozen fire, and this
Therefore nothing can be gained
is the body of gold.

from gold by means of our fire, except to render it fluid
in the same sense as the sun renders fluid the snow and
turns

it into

Astrology

water
is

"

(Ccelum Philos.')*

intimately connected with medicine, magic,

tion is to be evaporated again, and the remaining powder mixed with its
own weight of oorrosive sublimate of mercury. This powder is to be
dissolved again in the menstruum phUosophicum (diluted muriatic acid),

a red oily substance passes into the receiver. If you
you may take some newly prepared chloride of silver, satuPut one part of this powder
rate it gradually with the oil, and dry it.
into five parts of molten lead, separate the lead again from the silver
(by cupellation), and you will find that one-third of the silver has been

and

distilled until

obtain this

oil,

transformed into gold.
* There is a considerable amount of historical evidence of a
trustworthy
character that goes to prove that pure gold has been artificially made, but
it is, to say the least, doubtful if this was done in a way that could be

successfully imitated by one who is not an alchemist.
According to a
trustworthy report, coming from a source whose veracity is not doubtful,
a certain alchemist was kept imprisoned by the Prince-Elect of Saxony
at a fortress at Dresden in the year 1748, because the Prince wanted to

obtain through him artificial gold. This adept produced four hundred
pounds of gold by alchemical means, and finally escaped from the prison
in some unexplained manner.
Flaxnel is said to have made artificial gold
on April 25, 1382.
3

Tiffereau has repeatedly succeeded in transmuting inferior metals
into gold, by exposing for a long time solutions of chemically pure silver
or copper to the sunshine in tropical countries, and he presented a considerable quantity of such gold to the Academy of Science in PariH.
The
gold thus obtained differed in some respects from the natural gold
One of the best modern treatises on Alchemy
(Tiffereau, "L'Or," Paris).
in its physical aspects is August Strindberg's "Sylva Sylvarmn " (Jftiris,
1896), which goes to show that all chemical substances are only mode*
of vibration of one primordial substance, and can be changed one into
another by changing the state of etheric vibration.

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY
and alchemy.

If

we

desire to

make

261

use of the influences

of the planets for any purpose whatever, it is necessary
to know what qualities these influences possess how
they act, and at what time certain planetary influences

on the increase or on the wane. The quality of
the planetary influences will be known to a man who
knows his own constitution, because he will then be able
will be

to recognise in himself the planetary influences corresponding to those that rule in the sky; the action of

such influences will be known if we know the qualities
of the bodies upon which they act, because each body
attracts those influences that are in harmony with it,
and repels the others ; the time when certain planetary
influences rule may be found out by astronomical calculations, or by tables that have been prepared from such
for that purpose ; but the spiritually developed seer will
require no books and no tables, but will recognise the
conditions of the interior world by the states existing
in his own mind.
Paracelsus was not

what

He

fessional astrologer.

is called to-day
a profesdid not calculate nativities or

but he knew the higher aspect of
which
the mutual relations of the Macroastrology, by
cosm and the Microcosm are known. He rejected the
errors of popular astrology as he did those of other

make

horoscopes,

popular religions

or

scientific

superstitions

;

and

his

system of astrology, if rightly understood, appears of a
sublime character and full of the grandest conceptions.
He says: "No one needs to care for the course of
Saturn; it neither shortens nor lengthens the life of
anybody.

Nero was

If

Mars

is ferocious, it

does not follow that

and although Mars and Nero may
both have had the same qualities, they did not take them
from each other. It is an old saying that a wise man
may rule the stars,' and I believe in that saying not
in the sense in which yon take it, but in my own.
The
his child

;

'

stars force nothing into us that

we

are not willing to

PARACELSUS

262

take

;

they incline us to nothing which

They are

free for themselves,

You

selves.

believe that one

we do not

desire.

1

and we are free for our-

man

is

more

successful in

the acquirement of knowledge, another one in the acquisition of power; one obtains riches more easily, and
And you think that this is caused
another one fame.

by the stars; but I believe the cause to be that one
is more apt than another to acquire and to hold
certain things, and that this aptitude comes from the
2
It is absurd to believe that the stars can make
spirit.
Whatever the stars can do we can do ourselves,
a man.
because the wisdom which we obtain from God overpowers the heaven and rules over the stars."
He objected strongly to the use of ceremonies that
were made for the purpose of attracting spirits by means
He says " Whatever comes
of planetary influences.

man

:

'

Such spirits are
sorcery.
spirits
them
in
but
we believe in
we
do
not
believe
and
false,
;
the power of that wisdom which rules heaven, and by
which all the mysteries of Nature may be known.
Sorbut
is
has
been
called
wisdom, and
magic
magic;
cery
True science knows
there is no wisdom in sorcery.
The eternity of all things is without time,
everything.
without beginning, and without an end.
It is substantially present everywhere, and acts whore it is not
That which seems to be incredible, improexpected.
bable, and impossible will become wonderfully true in
from the astral

c

is

eternity."

"Man's mind

is made up of the same elementR as
but as the wisdom of the Supreme guides the
motions of the stars, so the reason of man rules the in-

the stars

fluences

;

which rotate and circulate in his mind.

The

essence of man's sidereal body, which he attracts from
1 It is
not divine man, but the elements in the body of man, which attract
corresponding influences from the powers of marocosmic Nature.
2
If they come from the spirit, the spirit must have pry-existed, and
have acquired them in a previous incarnation.

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY
the

stars, is of

a substantial nature

;

still,

we

263

consider

it

as being something spiritual on account of the ethereality
of its substance, and on account of the great dimensions
The essences in man's sidereal
of its invisible body.

body are intimately related to the sidereal essences of the
stars, and the former attract the powers of the latter ;
but if a man is the master over his own mind, he can
permit those attractions to take place in an irregular
manner, or control his passions and repel influences
which he does not desire.
"There is an attractive power in the soul of man,
which attracts physical, mental, and moral diseases from

The planetary influences extend through
and
man attracts poisonous qualities from
Nature,
the moon, from the stars, and from other things; but
the moon, and the stars, and other things also attract
evil influences from man, and distribute them again by
their rays, because Nature is an undivided whole, whose
the Chaos.
all

parts are intimately connected."
"

The sun and the

stars attract something from us, and
from
them, because our astral bodies
something
are in sympathy with the stars, and the stars are in sympathy with our astral bodies but the same is the case with

we

attract

;

the astral bodies of

other objects.
They all attract
astral influences from the stars.
Each body attracts certain particular influences from them ; some attract more

and others
of

less;

all

and on

this truth is based the

power

talismans, and the influence which
exercise over the astral form of the bearer.

amulets

and

they may
Talismans are like boxes, in which sidereal influences
may be preserved."

"Three, spirits, united in one,

live

and act in man;

three worlds, united into one, throw their rays upon him ;
but all three are only the reflection, image, or echo of one
The first is the essence of the eleprimordial creation.

ments

;

the second, the soul of the stars (the mind)

:

the

PARACELSUS

264

are caused
one

life,

by the

and the

contained in

all

of the elements, but there
that causes the instincts of

life

life

elements

in

is

only

man

is

the stars as well as in

The activity of the lifevegetable and animal forms.
essence is modified in vegetable, animal, and human
forms; it becomes the life of the earth, and the life of
Stars attract
the earth is radiated back to the stars.
and repel each other; they have their sympathies and

and sympathies,
antipathies ; and these living antipathies
attractions and repulsions, could not exist if no vehicle of
life

"

existed between them."

Primordial matter, forming the basis of the constituhuman body, has absorbed influences from the

tion of the

and they nourish the elementary (physical) body,
and by means of these influences man's soul is connected
with and united to the souls of the stars.
Having three
worlds in him and living in three worlds, man should
learn to know the lower elements, understand the
sidereal, and know the eternal."
"
The body comes from the elements, the soul from the
All that the intellect can
stars, and the spirit from God.
*
conceive of comes from the stars."
"
All knowledge comes from the stars (the Universal
Men do not invent or create ideas the ideas
Mind).
It' all
exist, and men are able to grasp them.
professors
of music in the world would die in one day, heaven, being
the original teacher of music, would not die, and it would
stars,

;

teach other persons this art.
"
Many ideas exist which

many stars
the earth.

are

still

too far

The realm of

men have not yet grasped

away
stars

;

to form a connection with

and ideas is infinite, and
and discoveries is not

therefore the source of inventions

yet exhausted."

"

New

stars appear

and others disappear on the sky.

1
By "stars" (astra) Paracelsus does not refer to th physical bodies of
the planets, but to mental states existing in the Cosmoa, and which are
represented by the stars.

ALCHEMY AND ASTROLOGY
New
are

ideas appear OB the mental horizon,
If a

lost.

265

and old ideas

new comet appears on

the sky, it fills the
if a new and grand

hearts of the ignorant with terror ;
idea appears on the mental horizon, it creates fear in the
camp of those that cling to old systems and accepted
forms."

"

Physical man takes his nutriment from the earth ;
the sidereal man receives the states of his feelings and

thoughts from the stars ; but the spirit has his wisdom
from God. The heat of a fire passes through an iron
stove,

and the

astral influences, with all their qualities,

They penetrate him as rain penepass through man.
trates the soil, and as the soil is made fruitful by the
rain.
Likewise man's soul is made fruitful by them;
but the principle of the supreme wisdom of the universe penetrates into the centre, illuminates it, and rules

over all"
*

tary

Hail

may

destroy the fruits of the earth, evil planebe attracted by the soul of the earth

influences

and cause epidemic

diseases,

and the

spiritual centre in

man

be devoid of wisdom, and darkness rule in its
The earth, the animal kingdom, and physical
place.

man

are subject to the government of the stars but the
spiritual man rules over the stars and over the elements,
and conquers the worlds without and the world within
;

by the wisdom that comes from God. Stones, plants,
and animals obey the government of the mind, and
man should obey the will and wisdom of God. The
individual terrestrial

governing
should be

the

life

universe

should correspond to the laws
man's spiritual aspirations
;

directed to harmonise with the will and
wisdom of God. If this is attained, the inner consciousness will awaken to an understanding of the influ-

ences of the

.

stars,

and the mysteries of Nature

revealed to his spiritual perception/

1

will be

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

IX.

MODERN

philosophy is a system of theoretical speculabased
tion,
upon reasoning from that which is believed
to be true to the unknown, drawing logical deductions

from accepted opinions and establishing new theories;
but theosophy is the possession of spiritual knowledge
To be a philosopher
obtained by practical experience.
it is necessary to have acute reasoning powers, and to
calculate possibilities and probabilities; to be a true
it is necessary to have the power of spiritual
and
to know the things perceived, irrespective
perception
of any possibilities, probabilities, or accepted opinions.

theosophist

A

speculative philosopher occupies an objective standpoint in regard to the thing which he examines; the

theosophist finds the character of that thing in himself.
There is nothing in the Macrocosm of Nature that is not

man and Nature

contained in man, because

and a

man who

are essen-

conscious of being one with
Nature will know everything in Nature if he knows only
himself.
philosopher having no knowledge of his
tially one,

is

A

own

spirit can only speculate about things which he
does not see; a practical theosophist, knowing his own
spiritual state, does not need to speculate, because he sees

the spirit of things and knows what he sees. Philosophy
is the love of wisdom and the
speculation thereon theo;

sophy

nothing more nor less than the clear under-

is

standing

itself.
is a true and a false
As the
philosophy.
new-made wine swims upon the top and hides

"There
froth in

the true wine below, likewise there

and pseudo-philosophy swimming
a66

is

a froth of sophistry
the top of true

at

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY
philosophy

;

it

looks like knowledge, but

it is

267

the out-

come

of ignorance, gilded and varnished to deceive the
It is like a parasite growing upon the tree of
vulgar.
knowledge, drawing the sap out of the true tree and

The intellectual working of
converting it into poison.
the brain alone is not sufficient to give birth to a physician ; the true physician is not he who has merely heard
of the truth, but he who feels the truth, who sees it
him as clearly as the light of the sun, who hears

before

as he would hear the noise of the cataract of the
Rhine or the whistling of the storm upon the ocean,
who smells it and tastes it, it being sweet to him as
honey or bitter as gall. Nature produces diseases and
effects their cures, and where, then, could be found a
better teacher than Nature herself?
That alone which
we see and feel and perceive constitutes true knowledge,
not that of which we are merely informed in books and
which is not confirmed by experience."
"
The knowledge of Nature as it is not as we
it

He
imagine it to be constitutes true philosophy.
who merely sees the external appearance of things
is not a philosopher; the true philosopher sees the
He who
reality, not merely the outward appearance.
knows the sun and the moon has a sun and a moon in
him, and he can tell how they look, even if his eyes
are shut.

Thus the

true physician sees in himself the

whole constitution of the Microcosm of man, with

all its

He

sees the constitution of his patient as if the
parts.
latter were a clear crystal, in which not even a single
hair could escape detection.
He sees him as he would

the stones and pebbles at the bottom of a clear well.
This is the philosophy upon which the true art of
is based.
Not that your physical eyes are
show you these things, but it is Nature herself
who teaches it to you. Nature is the universal mother
if the mirror
of all, and if you are in harmony with her
of your mind has not been made blind by the cobwebs

medicine
able to

PARACELSUS

268

of speculations, misconceptions, and erroneous theories
she will hold up before you a mirror in which you will
see the truth.

But he who

is

not true himself will not

see the truth as it is taught by Nature, and
easier to study a number of books and to learn

it

is far

by heart

a number of scientific theories than to ennoble one's
character to such an extent as to enter into perfect

own

harmony with Nature and to be able to see the truth."
*
"
means the clear perception and
If
theosophy
understanding of truth, there can be no true philosophy, religion, or science without theosophy, the understanding of truth being the only basis upon which all
true knowledge rests.

No
who
self,

one can, therefore, be truly called a theqsophist
does not possess the knowledge of his own divine
which enables his person to know all things as

This power is in possession of
only God knows them.
no mortal man, but belongs to the god in man. Only
when man has found the god in him can he partake of
divine wisdom.

Man is a mixed being; he is a centre or focus in
which the three kingdoms i.e. the three forms of mani9

festation of the primordial Will, the world of darkness
or fire, the world of spiritual light, and that of external

nature

are active, and in

which the powers of either of

these three kingdoms may become conscious and maniIf he is a temple of the holy spirit, God will
fest.

wisdom in him ; if he is a dwelling of ovil
the devil will become personified in him ; if the
"
"
world of mind, intellect, emotion, &c.
heaven
i.e., the
of the external world
is reflected within his soul, and
reveal His

will,

his

mind becomes absorbed by

it,

he

will

be a child

of the world.
It is most true and certain that if there were no
natural world, Nature could not become manifested in
man, and it is equally true that if there were no God

and no devil

i.e.,

no supreme power

for

good and no

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY
for

power

devil could

evil

in the

universe

become revealed or

269

neither a god nor a
personified in a man.

Evil exists for the purpose of being conquered by good.
Only in this way can knowledge be obtained.

There is no seed having the power to create itself the
sunlight which it requires to enable it to grow, and in
the same sense there is no man having himself the

power to create a god by his own will and pleasure ; but
like acts upon like.
The natural (physical or astral)
principles in man are acted upon by the corresponding
powers in Nature the growth of plants is due to the
power of the sun being active in them, and the spiritual
unfoldment of the soul of man is also due to the power
(the grace) of the God of the universe descending upon
;

him.

The knowledge of

a

man

in regard to a truth, however

learned and intellectual he

may be, can be nothing else
but a dream to one who does not recognise his own real
existence in God.
If we believe or accept the doctrine
of another man who perceives the truth, it does not
we

possess that truth as our own ; it simply
consider his opinion worthy of our belief.
knowledge of the opinions of others may guide us in
our researches as long as we cannot find the truth in

follow that

means that we

A

ourselves, but such a knowledge is as liable to mislead us
as to lead us right ; the only key to arrive at the recog-

and understanding of the truth is the perception
and understanding itself. Opinions change, and creeds
and beliefs change accordingly, but the knowledge which

nition

we

find in our

There

is

own

experience stands as firm as a rock.

no such thing as a theoretical theosophy,
wisdom is not a matter of theory,

because
but the divine knowledge of
divine

self.

To know a thing

the supreme will of the universe, or, as Boehme calls it, the
wisdom. It is therefore a divine will, and it could not
This does not
be divine if it were not free and subject to nothing.
imply that God is something external to Nature, but that He is supe1

God

is

will of divine

rior to

it.

P^flACELSUS

27 o

we must

see it

and

feel it

and be

identified

with

it

Things that transcend the physical power
of sight can only be known if they are experienced
Love or hate, reason and conand seen by the soul.
unknown
are
science,
things to those who do not
ourselves.

realise

their

existence.

The

attributes

of

the

spirit

are not only beyond the power of sensual perception,
but they are beyond the power of intellectual com-

they can only be known to the spirit
and they are called occult because they cannot
be understood without the possession of the light of
This spiritual light is an attribute of the
the spirit.
of the merely intellectual
spirit and beyond the reach
prehension;

itself,

but unspiritual mind.
"Man has two kinds of reason, angelic and animal
reason.
The former is eternal and of God, and remains
with God; the latter is also, but indirectly, originating
from God, and not eternal ; for the body dies and its
animal reason with it.
No animal product can be victorious over death.

but not that which

Death
is

kills that

eternal.

A

which

is

man who

animal,
is

not

man as far as wisdom in him is concerned, is not a
man but an animal in human shape" (De Fivndamcnto
a

SajpienticB).

To be

man

able to understand good, it is necessary that
experience evil, for without the know-

should

ledge of darkness the true nature of light could not
known; but no amount of evil experience will
enable a man to know that which is good and divine
if he is not in possession of the true
understanding,

be

which endows him with the power to

profit

by his

experience, and which is not of his own making,
given to him as a gift by wisdom itself.

but

"The

wise rules the stars in him, but animal man
ruled by his stars, which force him to do as he IB
directed by his animal nature.
He who has escaped
is

the gallows once will
repeat his crimes; for he thinks

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

271

having escaped his punishment once, he will escape
Such a person is blown about like a reed,
and cannot resist the forces which, are acting upon him,
and the reason of this is, that he has no real self-knowledge, and does not know that there is in him a power
that,

it

again.

superior to that of the stars (the lower mind).
in man is nobody's servant and has not lost

freedom, and through wisdom

Fundamento

man

attains

Wisdom
its own

power over

Sapiemtici).

KNOWLEDGE

may arrive at the door of the
but
man
cannot enter without perceivspiritual temple,
the
exists
and that he has the power
that
temple
ing
to enter. /This knowledge is called faith; but faith
does not come to those who do not desire it, and a
desire for divine wisdom is not created by man.
Man's
desires depend on the presence of an exciting cause,
and that which attracts him strongest is the thing for
It is not within the
which he has the greatest desire.
the
of
animal
or
intellectual
nature of man to
power
desire or to love that which he does not know.
He
may have a curiosity to see the unknown God, but he
can truly love only that which he feels, and of which
/"Intellectual reasoning

he knows that

it exists.

of the highest in his

He must

own

realise the presence
heart before he can know

The spiritual temple is locked with many keys,
and those who are vain enough to believe that they can
invade it by their own power, and without being shown
it.

the

way by the light of wisdom, will storm
Wisdom is not created by man

in vain.

come

to him, and cannot be purchased for

against it
;

it

must

money nor

Everybody knows that the thinking faculty is not our own self, but
is something in us which has the power to think or to let thinkThis something is higher than the intellectual realm, and
ing alone.
than all of its " stars,"
therefore
i

that there

higher

PARACELSUS

272

those whose
with promises, but it comes
are pure and whose hearts are open to receive
It is said that those who wish to become wise
to

coaxed

minds
it.

must be

like children,

but there are few amongst the

who would be willing to undertake such a
There are few who would be able to realise the

learned

feat.
fact,

they were willing to do so, that they themselves are without life, without knowledge, and without

even

if

power, and that

all

life

and consciousness, knowledge

and power, come from the universal fountain of all,
of which they are merely imperfect instruments for
There are few amongst the learned
its manifestation.
capable of giving up their pet theories, their accepted

and speculations about
and
sinking their own perprobabilities,
possibilities
sonal will entirely into the wisdom of God.
Humanity
resembles a field of wheat, in which each individual
opinions, their dogmatic reasoning

and

represents a plant, attempting to grow higher than the
others and to bear more abundant fruit; but there

are few

who

God may

take

desire to
full

be nothing themselves, so that
them and be all in and

possession of

through them.

"The

'
great majority of the
investigators of theosophy' do not love wisdom, they only desire it; they
desire to possess it for the purpose of adorning them-

selves with

comes only

it;

but wisdom

is

no man's servant

it

to those who,

abandoning self, sacrifice themselves iu the spirit of wisdom.
Those who seek the
truth for their own benefit and gratification will never
find it, but the truth finds those in whom the delirium
of ' self disappears, and it becomes manifested in them."

The

object of existence is to become perfectly happy,
shortest way to become so is to be perfect and

and the

happy now, and not wait

for a possibility to

in a future state of existence.

All

become so

may be happy, but

only the highest happiness is enduring, and permanent
happiness can be obtained only by attaining permanent

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

273

The highest a man can feel and think is his
good.
highest ideal, and the higher we rise in the scale of
existence and the more onr knowledge expands, the
As long as we cling to our
higher will be our ideal.
highest ideal

we

will

be happy, in spite of the sufferings

The highest ideal confers the
and
most
highest
enduring happiness, and the whole of
in the recognition and realisation
consists
Theosophy
and

vicissitudes of

life.

This is to be
of the highest ideal within one's self.
accomplished only by the overcoming of the illusion of
separate existence and the awakening of the soul to the
It is a state of -divine
essential unity of all things.
wisdom which can be attained in no other way than by
the light of that wisdom becoming manifested in man. 1

SPIRITUAL KEGENEBATION

As long as any one fancies his highest ideal to exist
only outside of him, somewhere above the clouds or in the
history of the past, he will go outside of himself to seek
1

God

the greatest power in the universe, because He is the source
of all powers in their highest mode of manifestation. God is

is

and sum

therefore absolute consciousness, absolute love, and absolute wisdom.
If we wish to accomplish anything great, the first requirement is the

He is man's understanding and power, and
But God cannot be approached by an intellect that is
God is love, and is only attracted by love. We cannot

presence of God, because
resides in

man.

without love.

of love unless we love it with our heart, and the
the more will we be able to comprehend with the
this principle is.
The love of God is therefore a power

know the principle
more we desire it,
heart

what

transcending the lower nature of man ; it cannot develop itself out of
the animal elements of man, but it is a gift from the universal fountain
of love, in the same sense as sunshine cannot grow out of the earth, but
comes from above. Gods lives in the hearts of men, and if we desire to
The love of
love Him, we must love all that is good in humanity.
humanity is the beginning of the knowledge of God. The intellect is
the greatest possession of mortal man, and an intellect that rises to the
source of all knowledge by the power of love may know God and all
the mysteries of Nature, and become godlike itself; but an intellect
without love leads into error, grovels in darkness, and goes to perdition.
An intellect combined with love for the supreme good leads to wisdom ;
an intellect without love leads to the powers of evil.

$

PARACELSUS

274

This is
for it in dreamland or in the pages or history.
but merely dreaming ; for not that wisdom
not
theosophy,

which

exists outside of

man

root in

him renders him

wise.

but that which has taken
child is not born from

A

womb, but from within, and the
regeneration of the soul must be accomplished by

outside of its mother's
spiritual

that power which

is

existing within the soul

itself.

man

requires the opening
of his inner senses, and this, .again, involves the development of the internal organs of the spiritual body, while

The

spiritual regeneration of

intimately connected with the physical form.
Thus this regeneration is not an entirely spiritual pro-

the latter

cess,

is

but productive also of great changes in the physical

body.

He who

rejects, neglects, or despises his physical

body, as long as

he has not outgrown the necessity of

having such a corporeal form, may be compared to the
yolk in an egg wanting to be free from the white of the

egg and the shell, without having grown into a bird.
"Philosophy" means love of wisdom, but not those
who love wisdom for their own aggrandisement are its
Such people love only themselves, and
true lovers.
desire wisdom as a means for parading with it; they
desire to know the secrets of Nature and the mysteries
of God, for the gratification of their scientific curiosity.
"
"
Theosophy means the wisdom of God ; in other words,

the self-knowledge of God in man. fit is not " man,"
but the god in man who knows his own divine self, and

and pleasure of
to become a theosophist, but this depends on the
awakening of the divine spirit in him.
Philosophy
it

therefore does not rest with the will

man

argues

and deducts,

speculates,

makes

addition**

and

multiplications, and by logical reasonings Keeks to provo
that for such or such reasons this or that cannot bo

otherwise than so or so; but divine wisdom requires no
arguments, no logic or reasoning, becauHe it is ulroady
the self-knowledge of the One from whom all oflujr
things are deriving their origin.

It

is

the hitfluwt

and

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

275

most exalted kind of rationality, for there can be nothing
more rational than to know the divine fountain of All,

by entering into its own understanding.
" All numbers are
multiples of one, all sciences converge to a common point, all wisdom comes out of one
The light of
centre, and the number of wisdom is one.
wisdom radiates into the world, and manifests itself in
various ways according to the substance in which it
manifests itself.
Therefore man can exhibit reason in

a threefold manner: as instinct, as animal reason, and
The knowledge which our soul
spiritual intelligence.
derives from the physical and animal elements is temporal ; that which it derives from the spirit is eternal.

God

is

the Father of wisdom, and

from Him.

We

may grow

into

all

wisdom

is

derived

knowledge, but we

cannot grow or manufacture knowledge ourselves, because in ourselves is nothing but what has been deposited

Those who believe that they can learn
and true without the assistance of God,
who is Himself the truth and the reality, will fall into
But those who love
idolatry, superstition, and error.
the luminous centre will be attracted to it, and their
God is the Father of
knowledge comes from God.
and
man
is
the
son.
If we wish for knowwisdom,
must
we
the
Father and not to
for
it
to
ledge
apply
And if the son desires to teach wisdom, he
the son.
must teach that wisdom which he derived from the
The knowledge which our clergymen possess
Father.
is not obtained by them from the Father, but they learn
it from each other.
They are not certain of the truth
of what they teach, and therefore they use argumentation, circumvention, and prevarication; they fall into
error and vanity, and mistake their own opinions for
the wisdom of God.
Hypocrisy is not holiness ; conceit
The art of deis not power; slyness is not wisdom.
ceiving and disputing, sophisticating, perverting, and
misrepresenting truths, may be learned in schools; but
there

by God.

anything real

PARACELSUS

27 6

the power to recognise and to follow the truth cannot
be conferred by academical degrees ; it comes only from
He who desires to know the truth must be able
God.

with descriptions of it
it, and not be satisfied
The highest
received from others, but be true himself.
to see

power of the intellect, if it is not illumined by love,
and will perish
only a high grade of animal intellect,
in time; but the intellect animated by the love of the
Supreme is the intellect of the angels, and will live in
is

"

(De Fundamento Sapientice).
"All things are vehicles of virtues, everything in
Nature is a house wherein dwell certain powers and
virtues such as God has infused throughout Nature and
which inhabit all things in the same sense as the soul
eternity

is

in

man

;

but the soul

is

a creature originating of

God

Natural (terrestrial) man is
and returns again to God,
a son of Nature, and ought to know Nature, his mother ;
but the soul, being a son of God, ought to know the
"
Father, the Creator of all
(Vera Infliwntia Berum).

FAITH
In regard to the true and the false faith Paracelsus
"
It is not a faith in the existence of a historical
says :
Jeans Christ that has the power to save mankind from
evil, but a faith in the Supreme Power (God), through
which the man Jesus was enabled to act, and through
which we also

when

it becomes manifested in
merely a belief and a result
of education; the latter is a power belonging to the
Christ does not say that
higher constitution of man.
if we believe in
His personal power to accompli&h
wonderful things we will be enabled to throw mountains into the ocean; but He spoke of our own faith,
meaning the divine power of God in man, that will act

us.

act

may

The former

'

'

faith

through ourselves as
if

we become

like

is

much

Him.

as it acted through Christ,
This power comes from God

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY
and returns to

Him

;

and

if

one

man

277

cures another in

name

of Christ, he cures him by the power of God,
and by his own faith. That power becomes active in
and through him by his faith, and not out of God's grati-

the

tude for his professed belief, or the belief of the patient
that Christ once existed upon the earth."
" The
power of the true faith extends as far as the

Man can accomplish
but everything can be
man by the power of faith. If
in our ability to walk, we would
If we accomplish anything whatnot be able to walk.
ever, faith accomplishes it in and through us/'
"Faith does not come from man, and no man can

power of God in the
nothing by his own
accomplished through
we did not have faith

create

faith

or

make

universe.

power,

himself

faithful

without

faith;

Its germ is
but faith is a power coming from God.
laid within man, and may be cultivated or neglected by
him ; it can be used by him for good or for evil, but
it only acts effectively when it is strong and pure
not
weakened by doubt, and not dispersed by secondary conHe who wants to employ it must have only
siderations.
Diseases are caused and cured by
one object in view.
knew
if
men
the power of faith they would
and
faith,
have more faith and less superstition.
We have no
disease
to
call
we
have
incurable;
any
right
only the
that
we
cannot
cure
A
to
it.
say
right
physician who
trusts only in his own science will accomplish little, but
he who has faith in the power of God acting through

him, and

who employs

that power intelligently, will
much."
accomplish
" If
any one thinks that he can cure a disease, or

anything else, without the power derived
from God, he believes in a superstition; but if he
believes that he can perform such a thing because he
is conscious of having obtained the power to do so, he
accomplish

will then be able to accomplish it by the power of the
Such a faith is knowledge and power. True

true faith.

PARACELSUS
faith is spiritual consciousness, but a belief based upon
and creeds is the product of ignorance,
mere

opinions

and a

l

superstition."

REINCARNATION
"

from our parents, and
which is built up from the nutriments it draws directly
and indirectly from the earth, has no spiritual powers,
for wisdom and virtue, faith, hope, and charity, do not

The body which we

grow from the

earth.

receive

These powers are not the pro-

ducts of man's physical organisation, but the attributes
of another invisible and glorified body, whose germs are
2
laid within man.
The physical body changes and dies,
This eternal man is the
the glorified body is eternal.
real

He

man, and is not generated by his earthly parents.
does not draw nutriment from the earth, but from

the eternal invisible source from which he originated.

Nevertheless the two bodies are one, and man may be
compared to a tree, drawing his nutriment from the
earth,

and from the surrounding air. The roots extend
and seek their nutriment in the dark, but

into the earth,
1

This is the curse of all dabblers in the divine mysteries, that when
they begin to believe that there is something superior to the merely animal
man, this belief opens the door for superstition and idolatry ; for, having
no knowledge of the power of the divine will within their own self, they
are devoid of the true faith, which is divine self-confidence.
fore put their trust, not in the one true God, but in the gnd

Th<y

thc-m-

which thuy
outward tiling

have created within their own imagination. They seek in
which they cannot find within their own empty

for that

neglect their duties as

men and

HhcllH.

revel in dreams wherein there

Thvy

is

nothing
real. Some put their faith in doctors and priests, others in horbw and mot*,
still others in magic spells and incantations ; but the wise know that th
first step on the road to spiritual unfoldment its the fulfilment of onc'it
duties as a man ; for no god can grow out of a man unlfHH the man hun
become truly that which he ought to be. In this fulfilment of onvV duty
and becoming true to one's nature as man rests the germ of true happiness, and from this germ is evolved the regenerated man in whom heaven

and who lives through eternity.
Where should that germ come from,

exists
a

how did

it

attain its divine qualities

?

if it

had not existed

before, ftml

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

279

The
the leaves receive their nutriment from the air.
temporal body is the house of the eternal, and we should
therefore take care of it, because he who destroys the
temporal body destroys the house of the eternal, and

man

although the eternal
theless,

and

will

become

womb
may

is

invisible,

he exists never-

visible in time, just as a child

before it is born, but
be seen by all but those who are
blind; and as everything returns after a while to the
source from whence it came, so the body returns to

in its mother's

is invisible

after its birth it

the earth and

the spirit to heaven or hell
born from heaven, and others are

children are

from

hell,

human being

because each

Some
born

has his inherent

tendencies, and these tendencies belong to his spirit,
and indicate the state in which he existed before he

was

born.

Witches and sorcerers are not made at once

1
they are born with powers for evil.

an instrument

;

you are seeking

if

you seek for man
him in vain."

in his

is

;

only

dead body,

for

"THE
But

The body

PHILOSOPHER'S STONE"

this physical body,

which

is

believed to be of so

importance by those who love to dream about the
mysteries of the spirit, is the most secret and valuable

little

thing.

It is the true

"

stone which the builders rejected,"

but which must become the corner-stone of the temple.
"
"
It is the
stone which is considered worthless by those
who seek for a God above the clouds and reject Him

when He

enters their house.
This physical body is not
an
for
instrument
divine
merely
power, but it is also
the soil from which that which is immortal in man
receives
1

its

strength.

A

seed requires the

power

of

Thny are born with the tendenci*n which they acquired in formic
upon the earth, or upon HOTTIU other plivnut. Tho ptTHoniticil devilp

liven

we iwct in the world are the "materialised"
cxmiing upon thu astral plane.

i

urn is of deviliuh powera

PARACELSUS

2 $o

the sunshine to enable

to take from the earth the

it

elements necessary for its growth, and in the same sense
the spiritual body of man, receiving its nutriment from
the spirit, could not unfold and develop if it were
not

the

for

with

presence

physical body of man,
elemental forces; for the

of the

elementary and

its

physical body is comparable to the wood from which
produced the fire which gives light; there would be
"The more
no light if there were nothing to burn.
is

wood

there is

to

bustion, and thus

burn, the greater will be the comis w th the Lapis PMlosopTwrum
;

it

x

"

But it is
or Balsamo perpetuo in corpore humano."
not proper to say a great deal about the I/apis PhilosopJwrum or to boast about its possession; the ancients
have

sufficiently indicated the

way

for

its

preparation

who

are not devoid of the true understanding ;
but they have spoken in parables, so that unworthy
Look
persons may not know the secret and misuse it.

to those

at a

man

man

he is not a perfect being, but only a half a
;
as long as he has not been made into one with the

woman.

2

(in him),

After having become one with the woman
"
will he be not a half, but a whole
(JDe

then

Lapid. Phttosoph.).

THE CHURCH
The rock upon which the true

(spiritual) church is
nor in Protestantism,
nor in the realm of fancy, but in the power of faith.
"It is the Word of Wisdom from which you should
learn, and in that Word you will find neither statuary

founded

is

not to be found in

Rome

nor paintings, but only the universal spirit.
If faith
preached to you, it is done for the purpose of im-

is

planting
1

2

and

it

into your heart,

where

it

may

take root and

The balsam of life (a man without sexual power is unfit for initiation).
and woman are both one in the Lord. The "man " is the .spirit

Man

"woman"

the soul.

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

281

grow and become manifest to yon

but if your faith is
;
not in your heart, but in forms and ceremonies, and if
you cling to these forms you may know that your heart
is evil ; because, although the forms and the ceremonies
cause you to weep and to sigh, this sighing and weeping
is worthless, because your sentiment comes from those

All things
images, and to those images will it return.
return finally to the place from whence they took their

and as these things are perishable, the sentiments
which they excite will perish with them. God only desires the heart and not the ceremonies.
If you do not
origin,

require the ceremonies, they will be useless in matters
9
of faith as well as in the art of magic/
It is foolish to refuse to be guided by the church as
long as one is not able to find one's own way \ but to be

thus guided
strive to

is

learn

not the object of existence

how

to

govern

ourselves,

;

we should
instead

of

being continually dependent upon the help of another.
"I do not say that images should not be made, and
that the suffering of Christ should not be represented in

Such things are good to move the mind of
to the practice of piety, virtue, and veneration, and
to those who are unable to read they are very useful and
pictures.

man

I am not speaking against
better than many a sermon.
the use of a thing, but against its misuses. Such things
are useful if we know their true meaning and understand their effects

"

l

(De Imaginibus, iii.).
and not in the wood out
of which an image is carved.
Each man is himself
nearest to his own god.
I contradict your old fathers
because they wrote for the body and not for the soul ;
they wrote poetry, but not theosophy they spoke flatteries instead of telling the truth.
They were teachers
of fashions and usages, not teachers of eternal life.
The
"

The

saints are in heaven,

;

1
Thus it would also be better for oar modern would-be theosophists if,
"
"
instead of running after external Mahatmas and seeking salvation from
them, each one were to strive after knowing the real Mahatma, existing

within his

own

soul.

PARACELSUS

282

mere imitation of the personal usages of the saints leads
The wearing of a black
nothing but damnation.
a
of
the
or
piece of paper signed by
coat,
possession

to

authority, does not make a man a divine.
Those are divine who act wisely, because wisdom is God.
A clergyman should be a spiritual guide for others but
how can a man be a spiritual guide if he merely talks
about spiritual things and knows himself nothing about
them ? It may be said that the personal behaviour of a
clergyman does not affect the truth of what he teaches ;
but a clergyman who does not act rightly does not posHe can
sess the truth, and therefore cannot teach it.
only, parrot-like, repeat words and sentences, and their
meaning will be incomprehensible to his hearers, because
he knows nothing about that meaning himself."
He who foolishly
"Belief in opinions is no faith.

some human

;

believes is foolish.

things

is

dead in

A
faith,

fool

who

believes unreasonable

because he has no real know-

and without knowledge there can be no faith.
"He who wants to obtain true faith must know, because
ledge,

faith grows out of spiritual knowledge.
The faith that
comes from that knowledge is rooted in the heart.
He

who
no

ignorantly believes has no knowledge, and possesses
and no power. 1 pod does not desire that we

faith

should remain in darkness and ignorance ; on the conshould be
knowledge should be of God.
the recipients of divine wisdom.
God does not rejoice

We

trary, our

to see fools, blockheads, and simpletons, who are
ready
to believe anything, no matter how absurd it
may be ;
neither does He desire that only one wise and learned

man should be in each country, and that the other people
should follow him blindly, as the sheep follow a ram;
but

we

should

all

have our knowledge in God, and take
We should

out of the universal fountain of wisdom.

it

There

a false faith that cornea from ignorance (Tamos), and a false
from selfish desire (Raja*) ; but the true faith
springs
from wisdom (Sattwa), and is itself the way for its attainment.
i

is

faith that originates

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY

283

know who and what God is, but we can learn to know
God only by becoming wise, and we become wise when
the wisdom of God becomes manifested in us. The works
of God will become manifest to us through wisdom,
and God will be most pleased if we become His image.
To become like God we must become attracted to God,
who is the universal fountain of all, and the power that
The love of God will be
attracts us is divine love.
kindled in our hearts by an ardent love for humanity,
and a love for humanity will be caused by a love of God.

Thus the God of the Macrocosm and the God of the
Microcosm act upon each other, and both are one, for
there is only one God, and one law, and one Nature,
through which wisdom becomes manifest" (De Fundamento Sapientice).
"
There is an earthly sun, which is the cause of all
heat, and all who are able to see may see the sun, and
those who are blind and cannot see him may feel his
heat.
There is an eternal sun, which is the source
of all wisdom, and those whose spiritual senses have
awakened to life will see that sun, and be conscious of his
existence but those who have not attained full spiritual
consciousness may nevertheless perceive his power by an
inner faculty, which is called Intuition.
Animal reason
is active in the animal soul, and angelic wisdom in the
The former sees by the light of Nature,
spiritual soul.
which is produced by a reflection of the rays of the divine
light acting in Nature ; but the light of the spirit is not
;

a product of Nature, but the supreme cause of all which
in Nature becomes manifest.
Nature does not produce
a sage

;

Nature

she merely furnishes a natural vehicle for a sage.
not perfect, but produces cripples and diseases,

is

abnormalities and monstrosities, the blind and the lame ;
but that which comes from God is perfect. It is a germ
which is planted in the soul of man, and man is the
gardener and cultivator, whose business it is to surround
it with the elements
necessary for its growth, so that

PARACELSUS

284

when

the earthly tabernacle

by His

love,

is

broken, the spirit, attracted

His eternal home, may return to

in knowledge, being clothed in purity
by divine wisdom."

having
and illu-

it,

grown
mined
"
The wisdom of God is not made up of pieces, but is
only one. While we are on this earth we ought to keep
our mirror in God, so as to be in every respect as a child
Thus we ought to be made out of the

is like its father.

whole

cloth,

God has

his

and not be patched up.
wisdom in God, and he

The wise man in
will teach in a

way

that nobody can contradict or resist him, and his teaching
will

to

harm no one, but bring joy and gladness and glory
"
who will receive it (De Fundamento Sapientice).

all

Spirit passes into the body, and out of it, like a breath
of air passing through the strings of an JEolian harp.
If we succeed in binding it there, we will create a source

harmony and create an immortal being. /But
bind spirit we must be able to bind thought.^ Man
a materialised thought; he is what he wills.
To

of undying
to
is

change his nature from the mortal to the immortal state
he must change his material mode of thinking, and even
rise above the sphere of thought.
He must cease to
hold fast in his thoughts to that which is illusory and
The
perishing, and hold on to that which is eternal.
visible universe is a thought of the eternal mind throw
into objectivity by its will, and crystallised into matter

by its power. Look at the everlasting stars ; look at the
indestructible mountain-peaks.
They are the thoughts
of the universal mind, and they will remain as
as
long

the thoughts of that
hold on to a thought

mind do not change.

we could
create.
But
If

we would be able to
the enlightened, who live above the region of
mentality in the kingdom of spirit, can hold on to a
thought ? Are not the illusions of the senses continually
Men do
destroying that which we attempt to create ?
who but

not think what they choose, but that which comes into
If they could control the action of their

their mind.

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOSOPHY
mind by
their

285

it, they would be able to control
nature and the nature by which their forms

rising above

own

are surrounded.

But mortal man has no power to control the powers
Nature in him, unless that power becomes manifested
in him,
"We mortals are not from heaven, but from
the earth ; we did not drop down from heaven, but grew
from the earth. Terrestrial powers are moving in us;
but if we are reborn in the spirit, then will we move in
What is this aid, these powers of which
celestial power.
Who gives and
I am writing, but celestial powers?
distributes them but God alone?" (Morb. Invisib., v.).
He who trusts in his own power will fail, and become a
victim of his own vanity ; he who expects salvation from
others will be disappointed.
There is no god, no saint,
and no power in which we can put any confidence, faith,
or trust for the purpose of our salvation, except the
of

power of divine wisdom acting within

ourselves.

Only

when man
will

he

realises the presence of God within himself
begin his infinite life, and step from the realm

of evanescent illusions into that of permanent truth.
/The realisation of eternal truth is caused by

the

"Holy Ghost," this being the light of self-knowledge,
the spirit of truth.
No man can create within himself
that light, nor drag the spirit of truth down to his level,
nor push himself by his own will into that light ; he can

only wait in peace until that spirit descends and becomes
manifest in his soul.
Thus the acquisition of wisdom
consists in passively receiving the light from above, and
in actively resisting the
hinder its manifestation.

influences from below which

UNSELFISHNESS
"

"

Theosophy

is

the wisdom of

God

in man,

and

therefore cannot be appropriated by any person. It cannot
become manifested in man as long as there exists in him

PARACELSUS

286

the delusion of "self," because that "self" is a limited
thing, which cannot grasp the infinite indivisible reality.

For
"

of

this reason
"

" love "

that

is to say,

the abandonment

This doctrine,
the beginning of wisdom.
It
misunderstood.
does
not teach
generally

self

is

however, is
that / should merely desire nothing for myself; but it
teaches that there should be no conception of "/" in my

mind

Only when that

that loves or desires anything.

of "self" has disappeared from my Heart and
and
mind,
my consciousness arisen to that state in which
"
there will be no I," then will not / be the doer of works,
illusion

but the

spirit of

wisdom

will

perform

its

wonders through

my

instrumentality (Phiksopkia Occulta).
this also exists the difference between divine love
and " altruism."
Altruistically inclined persons are

In

usually not

selfish,

but possessed by the idea of " self."

Not from God, but from their own illusion of selfhood,
are their works emanating.
They are themselves the
doers of their works, and are proud of their own goodness
and wisdom ; but their good works, being the product of
an

illusion, are illusive,

altruistic

and therefore impermanent.

humanitarian sees in other

human

The

beings his

brothers and sisters; but God, dwelling in the soul of
the wise, sees in every vehicle of life and in every
creature His

own

divine

self.

APPENDIX
ADEPTS

THERB

There are such as
are Adepts of various grades.
normal men in their physical bodies, and who

live like

are able to send their astral spirit out of their bodies

during their sleep to any place they choose, and on
awakening, their astral spirit returns again into the
body to which it belongs; and there are others who
have no physical bodies, because they have arrived at a
state of perfection in which such bodies are no longer
1
"There are persons who
required for their purposes.

have been exalted (vensueckt) to God, and who have remained in that state of exaltation, and they have not
Their physical bodies have lost their lives, but
died.
without being conscious of it, without sensation, without
any disease, and without suffering, and their bodies
became transformed, and disappeared in such a manner
that nobody knew what became of them, and yet they
But their spirits and heavenly
remained on the earth.
bodies, having neither corporeal form, shape, nor colour,
"2
were exalted to heaven, like Enoch and Elias of old
(Philosoph., v.).
1

See H. P. Blavatsky, "The Voice of the Silence" (Nirmanafaya's).
C. von Eckartshausen speaks in his " Disclosures of Magic" (1790)
about the Adepts as follows : " These sages, whose number is small, are
2

children of light, and are opposed to darkness. They dislike mystificaand secrecy; they are open and frank, haying nothing to do with
secret societies and with external ceremonies. They possess a spiritual

tion

temple, in which

"

tics

They
;

God

is

presiding.

live in various parts of the earth,

their business is to do as

much good

and do not meddle with

to humanity as

is in

poli-

their power,

APPENDIX

288

"

There is a great difference between the physical and
The former is visible and tangible,
the ethereal body.
but the latter is invisible and intangible. The body eats
and drinks ; the spirit lives in faith. The body is evanes-

The body
The body is conquered by the
the spirit is victor. The body is opaque, clouded
spirit
the spirit transparent and clear. The body is often sick
The body is dark, but the
the spirit knows no disease.
spirit is light, and sees into the hearts of the mounThe body executes
tains and the interior of the earth.
The body is the mumia ;
acts which the spirit orders.
The
the substance of the spirit is the balsam of life.
cent and destructible;
the spirit lives.
;

the spirit eternal

dies

;

;

;

former

comes

heaven" 1

from

the

earth,

but the

spirit

from

(Philosoph., iv.).

and to drink wisdom from the eternal fountain

of truth.

They never

quarrel about opinions, because they know the truth. Then number is
small. Some live in Europe, others in Africa, but they are bound together

by the harmony

of their souls,

joined together, although they

They understand each

other.

and they are

may

therefore as one.
They are
be thousands of miles apart from each

other, although they speak in different

tongues, because the language of the sages

is spiritual perception.
evil-disposed person could possibly live among them, because he
be recognised immediately, for he would be incapable of being illu-

" No

would
minated by wisdom, and as a mirror covered with mire cannot reflect the
light, likewise such a soul cannot reflect the truth. But the more the soul of
man grows perfect, the nearer does it approach to God, and the more will
its understanding grow and its love be exalted.
Thus may man enter
into sanctification ; he may communicate with perfect beings in the
He will be a
spiritual kingdom, and be instructed and guided by them.
true child of God. All Nature will be subject to him, because he will be
an instrument to carry out the will of the Creator of Nature. He knows
the future, the thoughts and the instincts of men, because the mysteries
of eternity are open before him.

"But the plans of the worldly-wise will come to nought That which
took the followers of false science centuries to accomplish will be wiped
out by a single stroke of the finger of God, and a nobler generation will
come, which will worship God in spirit and in truth."
1
There are three kinds of knowledge : I. External knowledge, or
scientific opinions in regard to external things (Gal. vi. 3).
This knowledge leads to error, because it concentrates all the attention upon the
illusory exterior of things, and keeps the
interior truths.
2. Knowledge received

mind

in ignorance in regard to

by entering into the mysteries

APPENDIX

289

CBBATION

The unmanifested Absolute cannot be conceived

other-

wise than as a mathematical point, without any magnitude,
and such a point in becoming manifest in all directions

would necessarily become a sphere. If we imagine such
a mathematical point as being self-conscious, thinking,
and capable to act, and desirous to manifest itself, the

mode in which it could possibly accomwould be by radiating its own substance and
consciousness from the centre towards the periphery.

only thinkable
plish this

The centre

is the Father, the eternal source of all
4) ; the radius is the Son (the Logos), who was
contained in the Father from eternity (John i i) ; the
power of the father revealed in the light of the son from
the incomprehensible centre to the unlimited periphery is

(John

i.

Holy Ghost, the spirit
externally and revealed in
the

of truth, which
visible

is

manifested

Nature (John xv. 26).

We

cannot conceive of a body without length, breadth,
a circle or a sphere always consists of a
;
centre, radius, and periphery.
They are three, yet they
are one, and neither of them can exist without the other
1
God sends out His thought by the power of His
two.

and thickness

of

Nature

It

is

of truths independent of the opinions of others.
; comprehension
the beginning of wisdom (Sirach i. 16). 3. Wisdom, or the knowledge
of the Supreme Cause of all effects obtained by knowledge of self (Book of
Wisdom, vii. 17-27). This is the wisdom of Solomon.
i. The theorists, who deal with
There are three kinds of knowers
opinions and with illusory appearances ; the opinionated and dogmatists*
sceptics, materialists, &c., who continually quarrel about their different
opinions. 2. Those who are able to recognise interior truths objectively
by the power of their interior perception. 3. The Adepts, who are united
with God, and know everything because they know themselves, by the
power of the Holy Ghost being manifest in themselves (Prov. ix. 7).
1
The doctrine of the Trinity is found in all the principal religions
systems: in the Christian religion as Father, Son, and Spirit; among
the Hindus as Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva; the Buddhists call it Atma,
Buddhi, and Manas ; the Persians teach that Orrauzd produced light out
of himself by the power of his word. The Egyptians called the First Cause
Ainmon, out of which all things were created by the power of its own will.
In Chinese, Kwan-shai-gin is the universally manifested Word, coming
:

T

APPENDIX

290

will (the Hiaster divides itself).

thought, and expresses
tained the

it

and

creative

He

holds fast to the

in the Word, in which is conconservative power, and His

thought becomes corporified, hringing into existence
worlds and beings, which form, so to say, the visible
body of the invisible God. Thus were the worlds formed

by the thought of God acting in the
Macrocosm (the Universal Mind), and in the same
manner are forms created in the individual sphere of
the mind of man. If we hold on to a thought we create
a form in our inner world, and we might render it objec-

in the beginning

and material if we knew our own creative power.
good thought produces a good, and an evil thought
an evil form, and they grow as they are nourished by
tive

A

thought or

"

imagination."

GENERATION
All beings are the product of the creative power of the
1
This imagination may proceed (i) from

imagination.

Nature, (2) from man, (3) from God.
There are consequently three modes in which

come

into existence

men may

:

i. Natural
men, the result of sexual intercourse
between men and women.
The imagination of the
parents creates the sperm; the matrix furnishes the
conditions for its development.
"They are born of
and
their
is
to
serve
as vehicles for the
flesh,
destiny

"

Spirit

(St.

John

iii.

6).*

from the unmanifested Absolute by the power of its own will, and being
The Greeks called it Zeus (Power), Minerva

identical with the former.

(Wisdom), and Apollo (Beaut v) ; the Germans, Wodan (the Supreme
Thor (Power), and Freia (Beauty). Jehovah and Allah are trinities of Will, Knowledge, and Power ; and even the Materialist believes
Cause),

in Causation, Matter, and Energy.
1
There are three kinds of imagination

:
passive imagination, active
thought, creative thought.
8 There
are three kinds of birth : the birth of the flesh, of the soul, and
of the spirit; and each birth has three stages : generation,
germination,

APPENDIX
God-men, the products

2.

291

of the imagination

and

will

incarnating spiritual entities
Luke i. 35). "They are already

of the divine Logos, the

Matt.

(St.

i.

23;

St.

born of the Spirit" (St. John i. I4). 1
3. Primordial men, without fathers or mothers and
without sex, produced by the thought of God in the
"
matrix of Nature (Hebrews vii. 3).
They are the true
images of the Creator, the children of God, without
sin and without knowledge" (Luke iii. 38).
Being

and

desiring to enjoy material
pleasures, they gradually sink into matter and learn to

attracted

to

matter,

know good and

evil.

2

INITIATION
*

Initiation," or

"

baptism,"

is

the growth of the spiri-

tual principle, which is germinally contained in every
man, into consciousness. "Two germs grow into one

One comes from the Spirit, the other germ comes
from Nature ; but the two are one.
One becomes conscious of Nature, the other one may become conscious
man.

of the Spirit.

One

is

the child of Adam, the other the

There are a few whose spiritual consciousness is awakened to life, who have died in Adam and
8
are reborn of Christ;
those who are reborn know
son of Christ

fructification. The first birth is the natural birth of man ; the second
the awakening of the soul, and the attainment of its power (EJphes.
iv. 13) to control the desires and passions ; it is, so to say, an invisible fire*,
penetrating the whole of the body. The third birth is the regeneration

and

is

of thUflrit, its

awakening to

spiritual consciousness.

The

attained by very few (i Cor. xv. 47 ; St. John iii. 6).
1
Krishna, Buddha, Christ.
8 " Adam."
The failures of the Dhyan-Chohans.

last stage is

&
^

Adam" forms the animal elements of the soul, but the
the spirit (the sixth principle). All the animal principles
existing in Nature exist germinally in the soul-essence of man, and may
grow there and develop into entities. The whole of the animal creation
is thus represented in the soul of man, because the growth of an
animal passion means the growth of an animal principle in the soul. If
such passions are conquered by the power of the spirit, these animal
8

The

"flesh of

flesh of Christ is

"creatures"

will die

and be expelled from the organism

of the soul, in

APPENDIX

292

the kingdom of
themselves, and are thus initiated into
the Spirit.
"
Initiation is therefore a matter of growth, and cannot
Ceremonies are only external
favour.
be obtained

by
The true baptism

the baptism of fire, the
of the spirit
growth into the spirit of wisdom, the victory
l
man."
of
over the animal nature
know that nobody can enjoy the possession of any
forms.

is

We

external sense, such as sight, hearing, &c., unless he has
The same is true in
organs adapted for that purpose.

regard to the inner senses of man, which also require the
organisation of a spiritual but nevertheless substantial

and as the physical body generates its organs in
of its mother, so the spiritual body becomes
in
the astral body of man.
generated

body

;

womb

the

"The form

A

existence.
its

of man must be adapted to his plane of
horseshoe of iron has a form adapted to

purpose, and so has a goblet of silver.

Nature has

strange children, and man must have his shape,
Therefore Christ
also that wherein he is made.

many
and

'

says,

He who

is

with

Me

denies himself.'

This means

that he must rise superior to that which belongs to
He must take his cross upon his
Nature in him.

which Nature has put upon
Take Nature upon your shoulders and carry her,
but do not identify yourself with her. Love your neighbour, and free yourself of that carnal reason which forces
shoulders, namely, the cross

Mm,

you

to be a servant of self

"

(De Arte Presaga).

way as a decayed part of the physical body becomes separated
from the physical organism ; and as such processes going on in the physical
form may be observed during the waking state, likewise the corresponding processes going on in the organism of the soul may be observed during a dream.
1
There are three kinds of baptism, by which three different names are
received.
The first baptism is only an external form, and the name is
optional; the second is the baptism with the "water of truth," or the
awakening of the soul to a recognition of the truth, by which a new name
and destination of the individual (i
the baptism with the "fire of the spirit," and
the name which it confers expresses the power of the perfect and immortal
divine man (St. John's Revelation ii. 17).
is

received, expressing the quality

Moses

xvii. 5)

;

the third

is

APPENDIX

293

MEDITTMSHIP

"Nature can teach everything belonging to Nature;
she derives her knowledge from the Spirit But Spirit
and Nature are one, for Nature is a light that comes from
If Nature learns from the Spirit, the one
the Spirit.
becomes divided into two : the disciple asks questions,

and answers them himself.

In a dream the dreamer and

the person he dreams of are one ; and in temptation the
tempter and the tempted are one."
"

The

Spirit.

light of Nature is the light that comes from the
It is in man is born with him, and grows up

with him.

There are some persons who

live in

this

interior light, but the life of others is centred in their
animal instincts, and they grope in darkness and error.

There are some who write wiser than they know, but it
is wisdom that writes through them, for man has no
wisdom of his own he can only come into contact with
wisdom through the light of Nature that is in himself."
"
Those who live in their animal instincts are not wise,
and that which they write is inspired by their animal
reason.
Some animals are murderous and others are
some
are thievish and others are lewd ; but all
greedy
the elements of the animal kingdom are in the soul of
man, and whenever such elements become alive in him
they dominate over his reason, and man becomes like a
reasoning animal, and writes as dictated by his animal
;

;

reason."

" That which a man writes is not created
by him,
but it existed before him, and will exist after him he
;

only gives it a form.
not his but another's

which truth

.or

Therefore that which he writes

he

is

only the instrument through
error expresses itself.
There are those
;

is

who

write mechanically, and such writing may come from
three causes ; intellectual writing may come from over
fifty-seven causes,

may come from

and the writing of the Word of God

ten causes.

A

person

who

writes should

APPENDIX

294

know the cause from whence his ideas come, for only he
1
who knows wisdom cau write wisely" (De JFundamenlo
Sapientice).

OCCULT PHENOMENA
Action at a Distance.
reaches very far

send his

spirit

accomplish

all

;

The

(spiritual) breath

for the breath

is

his spirit,

of

man

and he may

many hundred miles away, so that it will
that the man himself could have accom-

Such a breath travels as fast as the wind, or
plished.
"
as a ball shot out of a gun, and delivers its message
(PhUosoph. Tract.,

iii.)-

"
Visible bodies may be made
Disappearance of Objects.
in
same
the
or
covered,
invisible,
way as night covers a

man

and makes him invisible, or as he would become
he were put behind a wall and as Nature
render something visible or invisible by such

invisible if

can

;

means, likewise a visible substance may be covered
with an invisible substance, and be made invisible by
art"

2

(Philosoph. Sag., i.).
"
If a thing loses its material substance,
Palingenesis.
the invisible form still remains in the light of Nature

and if we can reclothe that form with
we can make that form visible again. All

(the astral light)
visible matter,

matter

and

is

salt.

;

composed

By

of three

elements

alchemical means

sulphur, mercury,
create a mag-

we may

netic attraction in the astral form, so that it will attract

from the elements (the A'kasa) those principles which
1

There are three distinct classes of mediumship

:

it

mechanical medium-

ship, in which the physical forces of the medium are used by extraneous
influences (obsession, physical manifestations, &c.) ; emotional mediumship, by which the energies of the soul of the medium are stimulated
his feelings and his thoughts aroused (trance speaking and
;

and

spiritual

writing)

mediumship, in which wisdom manifests

dentally conscious man (ecstasy, illumination).
2 It is said
that "darkness is absence of light."

itself

We

through transcen-

may say with equal
truth that "light is absence of darkness;" light and darkness are certain states of the cosmic ether (A'kasa). Light is
"spirit," darkness is
" matter." Both have
positive qualities (Gen. i. 4).

APPENDIX
possessed before

and become

its mortification,

visible again

"

295

and incorporate them

x

(De Emtscitationibus).
If the elementary body can write a
send it by a messenger to somebody in a

Occult letters.

"

and
month, why should not the ethereal body of an Adept be
able to write a letter and to send it to its destination
"2
(Philosoph. Sag., i.
(by an element spirit) in an hour ?
letter,

cap. 6).

"There is a species of magic by
Transformations.
living bodies can be formed and one body be

which

transformed

into

another,

as

was done by Moses

" 8

(Philosoph. Sag).

Transmutations.

"

An

instance of transmutation

may

be seen in wood which has become petrified. The form
of the wood remains unchanged nevertheless it is no
"
longer wood, but a stone (De Transmutationibus).
"
Passage of Matter tJvrough Matter.
Things that are
done by visible means in the ordinary manner may be
done by invisible means in an extraordinary way. For
instance, a lock can be opened with a key; a cut be
made with a sword ; the body be protected by a coatAll this may be done by visible means.
of-mail.
You
may grasp a man with your hand without making a
hole in him, and take a fish out of water without
leaving a hole in the water; or you may put something into water, and if you withdraw your hand no
hole will be left in the water.
By the necromantic art
can
be
put through a body or into a body,
something
;

1

Plato, Seneca, Erastus, Avicenna, Averroes, Albertus

Magnus, Cas-

Oardanus, Cornelius Agrippa, Eckartshausen, and many others
wrote about the palingenesis of plants and animals. Kircher resurrected
a rose from its ashes in the presence of Queen Christina of Sweden, 1687.
The astral body of an individual form remains with the remnants of the
latter until these remnants have been fully decomposed, and by certain
methods known to the alchemist it can be reclothed with matter and
palin,

become
3

should be determined by the quality of
in which it has been received.

and not by the manner
Bxod. vii 10.

tents,
8

visible again.
value of a letter

The

its

con-

APPENDIX

296

and no hole
i.

be

will

left in

the latter

"

l

(PMosoph.

4).

THOUGHT-TBANSFER
"

the magic power of the will a person on this
side of the ocean may make a person on the other side
hear what is said on this side, and a person in the East

By

The
thus converse with another person in the West.
the
voice
of
understand
and
hear
man
may
physical
another

man

at a distance of a

hundred

steps,

ethereal hody of a man know what another
at a distance of a hundred miles and more.

and the

man thinks
What can

be accomplished by ordinary means in a month (such as
the sending of messages) can be done by this art in one
If you have a tube a mile long, and you speak
day.

through it at one end, a person at the other end will
If the elementary body can do this,
hear what you say.
how much easier will it be for the ethereal body, which

much more powerful

is

bodies) than the former

relation

(in
" 2

SPIRITS OF THE
"

to other ethereal

(Philosoph. Sag.,

!

i.

cap. 60).

DEPARTED

If a person dies, it is only his body that dies ; the
8
soul does not die, neither can it be buried, but

human

remains

it
1

alive,

and knows whatever

Such manifestations

it

knew

before

it

be witnessed frequently in
to us
is because we habitually look upon form as something real instead of
seeing
in it an illusion, and because our accepted opinions in regard to the constitution of matter are fundamentally wrong.
spiritualistic stances.

of occult

power

may

The reason why they seem incomprehensible

8

The earthly atmosphere may be, so to say, perforated by a tube
or wire, carrying an electric current, and the ether (A'kasa) be " perforated" likewise by a current of spiritual force. An electric current
passes unimpeded through the earth ; a thought current passes unimpeded
through the A'kasa.
8

The human soul is threefold the animal, intellectual, and spiritual
The imperfect elements of the soul die ; that which is perfect remains
:

soul.

alive.

Life

the spirit

is

threefold

:

the organic

life,

the

life of

the soul, and that of

APPENDIX

297

became separated from the body. It remains the same as
was before death if a man has been a liar in his life,
he will be one after death ; and if he has been well ex-

it

:

perienced in a certain science or

art,

he will

know

that

science or art; but a human soul that knew nothing
about a certain thing during its life will not be able to
learn much about it after death."
"
If we desire to enter into communication with the
spirit of

a deceased person,

we may make

a picture repre-

senting that person, and write his name and the questions
we wish to ask him upon it, and put that picture under
our head after retiring to rest ; and during our sleep the

deceased appears to us in our dreams and answers our
But the experiment must be made in a spirit
questions.
of unfaltering faith, full of confidence that it will succeed,
else it will fail, because it is not the picture that brings
the spirit, but our faith that brings us into communi-

cation with it; and the picture is only made for the
purpose of assisting the imagination, and to make it more
"

l

(PMosoph., v.).
" Men have two
an animal
spirits

powerful
spirit

in them.

8

A man

who

spirit

lives in his

and a human
animal

spirit

an animal during life, and will be an animal after
death; but a man who lives in his human spirit will
remain human. Animals have consciousness and reason,
It is the prebut they have no spiritual intelligence.
sence of the latter that raises man above the animal, and
its absence that makes an animal of what once appeared
A man in whom the animal reason alone
to be a man.
is active is a lunatic, and his character resembles that of
is like

some animal.

One man

acts like a wolf, another like a

It is
dog, another like a hog, a snake, or a fox, &c.
their animal principle that makes them act as they do,
and their animal principle will perish like the animals
But the human reason is not of an animal
themselves.
1

9

There are three sources of faith : opinion, belief, and knowledge.
The human spirit has a twofold aspect, a human and a divine one.

APPENDIX

298

of God, it
nature, but comes from God, and being a part
"
is necessarily immortal
(De lunaticis).

1
THE ELIXIR OF LiFE

Paracelsus, as well as his predecessors, such as Galen,

Arnold,

De

Yillanova,

studiously to discover a

Eaimund
remedy

Lullius, &c., laboured
for the prolongation of

He did not believe in the possibility of rendering
the physical body immortal, but he considered it the
duty of every physician to attempt to prolong human
life as long as it could be prolonged, because it is only

life.

during life upon the earth that man can acquire knowledge and improve his character ; after death he acquires
nothing new, but enjoys his possessions.

Paracelsus,

Eoger Bacon, Verulam, and others, maintained that
the human body could be rejuvenated to a certain extent
by a fresh supply of vitality, and it was his aim to find
means by which such a supply could be obtained. He
like

"

If

we could

extract the fire of life

from the heart

without destroying the heart, and draw the quintessence
out of inanimate things, and use it for our purpose, we
might live for ever in the enjoyment of health, and without experiencing any disease.
But this is not possible
in our present condition.
cannot reverse the laws
of Nature, and whatever dies a natural death cannot be

We

resuscitated by man.
But man may mend that which
he himself has broken, and break that which he himself
has made.
All things have a certain time during which
The saints have a certain
they exist upon the earth.
time during which they exist, and also the wicked.
If
a man's time to stay is over, he will have to leave. But
1

The writings attributed

to Paracelsus in regard to this subject that
at present are partly spurious, partly
fragmentary, and the
translations incorrect.
The extracts given below of his writings on the

are

known

Elixir of Life are taken from an original

MS.

in private possession.

APPENDIX
many

die before their time

is

over, not

299

by a

visitation of

Providence, but because they are ignorant of the laws
controlling their nature."

"Metals may be preserved from rust, and wood be
Blood may be preserved a
protected against the rot.
Egyptian mummies
long time if the air is excluded.

have kept their forms for centuries without undergoing
Animals awaken from their winter sleep,
and flies, having become torpid from cold, become nimble
A tree will sometimes
again when they are warmed.
bear no fruit for twenty years, and then begin again to
bloom and bear fruit as it did when it was young ; and
if inanimate objects can be kept from destruction, why
should there be no possibility to preserve the life-essence
"
of animate forms ?
It is an emanation
"Life itself comes from heaven.
of the Supreme Power of the universe, and it is therefore
eternal and unchangeable ; but it requires a substantial
putrefaction.

its manifestation.
Material forms are earthly,
like
all
and,
earthly substances, they are subject to dissoTo prolong the process of life, we
lution and change.

vehicle for

must

try to protect the material form in which life is
active against all injurious influences that may act upon
it.
must therefore attempt to eradicate all physical

We

and psychical diseases, and to prevent all
caused by age, occupation, or accidents.

man

evils that are

We

should

upon him
against
in
the
foetal
and
manhood,
state,
infancy, youth,
during
old age; we should defend him against injurious influences coming from the astral plane; cause him to
protect

all

evil influences acting

avoid immoderate eating and drinking, fatigue of body
or mind, excessive joy or grief, or mental excitement of
must protect him against infectious or
any kind.
epidemic diseases, whether they are of a physical or moral

We

character,

and employ such remedies as have been pro-

vided by Nature for such purposes."
"
Such a remedy is the Primum Ens9 the source of

all

APPENDIX

3<x>

As the fabulous halcyon becomes rejuvenated and
own substance renewed by drawing its nutriment from
the Primum Ens, so may man rejuvenate his constitution

life.

its

by purifying it so that it will be able to receive without
any interruption the life-giving influence of the divine
1

spirit.

the vehicle that forms the

"But
which
found

life acts

medium through

consists of elementary substances that are

and which form the quintessence of all
There are some substances in which this quint-

in Nature,

things.

essence

is

contained in greater quantities than in others,

Such
can more easily be extracted.
substances are especially the herb called melissa and the

and from which

human

it

blood.

THE PRIMUM ENS
The

"

"
Primum Ens

of a thing is its first beginning,

Prima

Materia, an invisible and intangible spiritual
substance, which can be incorporated in some material
"
He who wants to separate the Primwn, Ens
vehicle.
from its Corpus (vehicle) must have a great deal of
its

If he is not a good
experience in the spagyric art.
"
alchemist his labour will be in vain (De Seypamt. Ber.).
" The
Primum Ens Mdissce is prepared in the followmanner:
Take half a pound of pure carbonate of
ing

potash and expose it to the air until it is dissolved (by
Filter the fluid,
attracting water from the atmosphere).

and put as many fresh leaves of the plant melissa into it
as it will hold, so that the fluid will cover the leaves.
Let it stand in a well-closed glass, and in a
moderately

warm place, for twenty-four hours. The fluid may then
be removed from the leaves, and the latter thrown
away.

On

the top of this fluid absolute alcohol is
poured, so
it will cover the former to the
of
one
or two
height
inches, and it is left to remain for one or two days, or
that

1

Compare

Five Years of Theoaophy : " The Elixir of Life.

APPENDIX

301

an intensely green colour.
then to be taken away and preserved,
and fresh alcohol is put upon the alkaline Said, and the
until the alcohol becomes of

This alcohol

is

operation is repeated until all the colouring matter is
This alcoholic fluid is now to
absorbed by the alcohol.
and
the
alcohol
be distilled,
evaporated until it becomes
of the thickness of a syrup, which

is

the

Primum

JEns

Melissa; but the alcohol that has been distilled away
and the liquid potash may be used again.
The liquid
potash must be of great concentration and the alcohol of
great strength, else they would become mixed, and the
1
experiment would not succeed."
"
i
Lesebure, a physician of Louis XIV. of France, gives, in his Guide
to Chemistry" ("Chemischer Handleiter," Nuremberg, 1685, p. 276),
an account of some experiments, witnessed by himself, with the Primwn
" One of
Ens Melissa as follows
my most intimate friends prepared the
Primum Ens Mdisscs, and his curiosity would not allow him to rest until
he had seen with his own eyes the effect of this arcanum, so that he might
:

be certain whether or not the accounts given of

made

its

virtues were true.

He

upon himself, then upon an old
female servant, aged seventy years, and afterwards upon an old hen that
was kept at his house. First he took, every morning at sunrise, a glass
of white wine that was tinctured with this remedy, and after using it for
fourteen days his finger and toe nails began to fall out, without, however,
causing any pain. He was not courageous enough to continue the experiShe took
ment, but gave the same remedy to the old female servant.
therefore

the experiment,

first

every morning for about ten days, when she began to menstruate
as in former days.
At this she was very much surprised,
because she did not know that she had been taking a medicine. She
became frightened, and refused to continue the experiment. My friend
took, therefore, some grain, soaked it in that wine, and gave it to the old
hen to eat, and on the sixth day that bird began to lose its feathers, and
it

again,

kept on losing them until it was perfectly nude ; bat before two weeks
had passed away new feathers grew, which were much more beautifully
coloured ; her comb stood up again, and she began again to lay eggs."
"
In the " Life of Cagliostro some such rejuvenating medicine is mentioned, and the names of some persons who succeeded in the experiment
are given* These and similar facts have neither been proved nor disproved by" science, but are waiting for an investigation. The judges at

the trial of Cagliostro, before the tribunal of the Inquisition at Borne,
"
were only intent to convict him ; but he who can read their report be"
in
of
favour
deal
that speaks
tween the lines will find a great
Cagliostro,

and much that has not been explained.

APPENDIX

302

PEIMTJM ENS SANGUINIS

Primum JEns Sanguinis^ take blood from
of a healthy young person, and let it
vein
the median
run into a warm bottle that has been weighed upon
To make

the

scales, so that the exact quantity of the

Add

be known.

to

alcahest, close the bottle,

moderately

warm

which the red
ment,

filtered,

Sanffuinis,

place

and permit
for

it

blood used will
its

to

quantity of

remain in a

about fourteen days, after

be separated from the sediand preserved. This is the Primum Uns

and

Primum Ens

blood twice

this

fluid is to

it

used in the same manner as the

is

Melissce.

THE ALCAHEST
The celebrated Alcahest is an universal medicine
whose preparation was also known to Helmont and to
some Eosicrucians. It was considered by them as one
of the greatest mysteries.
"

Take

warm

It is prepared as follows :
freshly prepared caustic lime, if possible still

quickly in a dry place, and put it into
much absolute alcohol as the powder
will absorb, and distil the alcohol at a moderate heat,
until the powder in the retort is left perfectly dry.
The
;

powder

it

Add

as

a retort.

distilled

lime, and

alcohol is
distilled,

now
and

to be

poured again upon the

this operation repeated ten times.

Mix

the powder with the fifth part of its own weight
of pure carbonate of potash.
This must be done very
and
in
a
quickly
dry atmosphere, so that it will not
attract any moisture.
Insert the mixture of the two
powders into a retort and heat it gradually, after putting
about two ounces of absolute alcohol into the recipient.

White vapours

arise from the powder, and are attracted
by the alcohol, and the heating is to be continued as
Pour the alcohol from the
long as this takes place.
The alcohol
recipient into a dish, and set it on fire.

APPENDIX

303

burns away, and the alcahest remains in the dish.
It
is an excellent medicine, and is used in the same manner

Primum

*

On account of the great
in
contained
the
Paracelsus says that
limestone,
powers
a
man
foot a stone that
with
his
kicks
"many
away
as the

JSns Melissce"

would be more valuable to him than his best cow, if he
only knew what great mysteries were put into it by God
2
by means of the spirit of Nature/'

ZENEXTOET

One

of

the greatest sympathetic remedies of Para-

celsus, for the possession of which he was envied a great
deal, and the preparation of which he kept very secret,

was

his

Zenexton*

His

"Basilica Chemica," pp.
tion as follows

"Make an
may cut some

disciple,

210-213,

Oswald

Sroll,

in

his

describes its prepara-

:

by which you
a penny, and
whose composition will be given below. The instrument consists of two discs, which can be connected
instrument of good
small tablets of the

steel,

size of

together by a middle piece in the shape of a ring, forming a hollow space between the two discs, and the latter
are provided with handles.
Upon the inner side of one

engraved a snake, and the inner side of the other
represents a scorpion, so that the substance which is to
disc

1

is

We give these and the

following prescriptions as curiosities, for

what

they are worth. They contain great truths, but only those who know
will be able to understand and to prepare them. Those who go to the
apothecary's shop to get these remedies prepared will be disappointed.
2 The alchemistical
writings of Paracelsus are as obscure for the uninitiated as those of any other alchemist, but to the initiated they are

He gives, however, many plain directions in regard to
the treatment of special diseases, and which can easily be followed out
The reason why the doctrines of Paracelsus are not more extensively
followed out by modern physicians is, that his system is, unfortunately,
little known, and still less understood.
The time will come when the
resurrected doctrines of Paracelsus will create again a revolution in medical
science, as the man Paracelsus did three hundred years ago.

plain enough.

APPENDIX

304

be put into the hollow space between the two discs will
receive the impression of the snake on one side and of
the scorpion on the other.
made at a time when sun and

The instrument is to be
moon are together in the

1
By this process the upper bodies will
sign of Scorpion.
be joined to the lower ones in an inseparable sympathetic union."

which the tablets are made is
Take about eighteen live toads,
dry them by exposing them to the sun and the air, and
powder them. They must be dried very quickly, else
Take a number of menstrual cloths from
they will rot.
white
arsenic, auro-pigment, half an ounce
young girls
of each ; roots of Diptamus albus and Tormentilla erecta,
of each three drachms; one drachm of small pearls;
red corals, pieces of hyacinths and smaragds, half a
drachm of each; oriental saffron/ forty grains; and a
few grains of musk and amber. Powder all fine, mix
it all together, and make a paste out of it with roseMake a paste out of it at
water and gum-tragacanth.

"The substance

of

prepared as follows:

;

the time

when

the tablets,

the

moon

is

in the sign of Scorpion, cut

them with the instrument.
Dry
cover them with red silk, and wear them by

into tablets,

and

seal

a string around your neck, but they ought not to touch
bare skin.
Such an amulet protects the wearer
the
against
plague, sorcery, poison, and evil astral in-

the

fluences

them
i

;

it

draws poisons out of the body, and absorbs

entirely."

This takes place in the Macrocosm during the time of the new
moon, occurring each year between October 23 and November 23.